Back to main Search Page

Aloysia triphylla - (L'Hér.)Britton.

Lemon Verbena

Author	(L'Hér.)Britton.	Botanical references	11, 200
Family	Verbenaceae	Genus	Aloysia
Synonyms	Aloysia citrodora - Ortega. ex Pers. nom illegit. Lippia citrodora - (Ortega.)Kunth. Lippia triphylla - (L'Hér.) Kuntze. Verbena triphylla - L'Hér.
Known Hazards	The essential oil from the plant might sensitise the skin to sunlight[238].
Range	S. America - Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay. Locally naturalized in the Mediterranean[50].
Habitat	Fields and roadsides[238]. Open scrub[260].
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	3 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious Shrub growing to 3m by 3m at a medium rate.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; South Wall By; West Wall By;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves.

Edible Uses: Condiment; Tea.

Leaves - occasionally cooked as a spinach[177] but more commonly used as a flavouring in salads, fruit salads etc[14, 21, 104, 183]. A delicious lemon-like flavour, it is adored by most people who try it[K]. A delicious and refreshing tea is made from the leaves[14, 21, 103, 183]. The dried leaves will retain their lemon aroma for many years[4].

Medicinal Uses

Antispasmodic; Aromatherapy; Febrifuge; Sedative; Stomachic.

An undervalued medicinal herb, lemon verbena contains a strong lemon-scented essential oil that has calming and digestive qualities[254]. The plant has a gentle sedative action and a reputation for soothing abdominal discomfort. It has a mildly tonic effect upon the nervous system and helps to lift the spirits and counter depression[254]. The leaves and the flowering tops are antispasmodic, febrifuge, sedative and stomachic[4, 7, 238, 240]. A tea made from the leaves has a deliciously refreshing lemon flavour and is used mainly in treating digestive disorders[4] such as flatulence, indigestion and acidity[244]. Some caution is advisable though, since prolonged use or large internal doses can cause gastric irritation[268]. The herb is also useful as a stimulant for treating lethargy or depression[244] whilst it is also used to treat feverish colds[238]. The essential oil is used in aromatherapy in the treatment of nervous and digestive problems and also for acne, boils and cysts[238].

Other Uses

Essential; Insecticide; Pot-pourri; Repellent.

An essential oil obtained from the leaves is extensively used in perfumery[7, 61]. An average yield of 0.5% is obtained[7]. There is some evidence that the use of this oil can sensitise the skin to sunlight and so its use has been largely replaced by the tropical plant lemongrass, Cymbopogon spp.[238]. The dried leaves retain their fragrance well and so are used in pot-pourri[238]. The growing plant repels midges, flies and other insects[201]. The essential oil is an effective insecticide in 1 - 2% concentration[240].

Scented Plants

Leaves: Crushed Dried

The leaves are very aromatic with a strong lemon scent.

Cultivation details

Succeeds in most moderately fertile soils if they are well-drained[200]. Prefers a light soil[219]. Requires a sunny sheltered position[166, 200]. Requires a warm damp climate[7]. A very ornamental plant[1], lemon verbena is only hardy in the milder areas of Britain[1, 11, 14], growing well in Cornwall[59]. It can withstand about 10°c of frost[184] and survives outdoors on a wall at Kew[K]. It generally survives most winters outdoors if growing in a suitable position, though it is often cut back to ground level and then resprouts from the base in late spring[120] or early summer[238]. Giving the roots a good, thick organic mulch will confer extra protection from winter cold[244]. The plant succeeds outdoors at Howick, a garden on the coast of Northumberland. The leaves are very aromatic with a lemon scent[182], they are often used to make a drink or for their essential oils[4]. There has been considerable confusion over the naming of this species. We are following the treatment used in [11] and [200], which is also the current treatment in the 1999 edition of The Plant Finder. However, the book 'World Economic Plants' uses the name A. citrodora Palau (a different author to the one we cite) as the correct name. Any pruning is best carried out in the spring[219]. This species is notably resistant to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a greenhouse in late spring. Only just cover the seed and keep in a light position, making sure the compost does not dry out. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out in early summer and give some protection from the cold for at least their first winter outdoors. Cuttings of softwood, May/June in a frame. Grow on for at least their first winter in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring after the last expected frosts[K]. The cuttings root quickly and easily, though there can be losses in the first winter[K]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, August in a frame. Grow on for at least their first winter in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring after the last expected frosts[K]. The cuttings root quickly and easily, though there can be losses in the first winter[K].

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Conservatory Plants.

Permaculture.info Details of this plant in the Permaculture.info project, a community plant and permaculture database.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[59] Thurston. Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall. 0
Trees and shrubs that succeed in Cornwall based on the authors own observations. Good but rather dated.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[103] Haywood. V. H. Flowering Plants of the World. Oxford University Press 0 ISBN 0-19-217674-9
Very readable and well illustrated, it lists plants by families giving the basic diagnostic features and some details of plant uses.

[104] RHS. The Garden. Volume 111. Royal Horticultural Society 1986
Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS, including an article in Crambe maritima and another on several species thought to be tender that are succeeding in a S. Devon garden.

[120] ? The Plantsman. Vol. 2. 1980 - 1981. Royal Horticultural Society 1980
Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants including Billardiera spp, Calochortus spp, Drimys spp.

[166] Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990
A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[184] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Shrubs. Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30258-2
Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1900 species and cultivars.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.

[219] Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983 ISBN 0-00-219220-0
A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

[260] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.

[268] Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Orbis Publishing. London. 1979 ISBN 0-85613-067-2
Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs.

Readers Comments

Aloysia triphylla

phil batey Fri Jul 23 17:44:38 2004

There is a lot about the use of lemon verbena to treat digestive complaints but i wounder why its very potent effect at curing head aches when used in a tea has not been mentioned

Aloysia triphylla

Concerned Viewer Tue Aug 21 2007

Warning For Use of Lemon Verbena, over dose of the plant (mainly from herbal teas) will cause irritation to the throat

Add a comment/link:

Discussion Monitor

To have posts to this page mailed to you enter your email address here:

(Your email address will not appear on the webpage or be passed on to third parties).