Mint family
Labiatae
Mol-lew-sell'a. Two species of aromatic Old World annual herbs, both found in old-fashioned gardens, the one below widely cultivated for fresh and dried flowers.
Description
Leaves opposite, stalked, generously toothed. Flowers very small, in whorls in the leaf axils. Corolla tiny, irregular, white or pinkish, scarcely or not exceeding the bristly or prickly calyx.
How to Grow
Considered difficult to grow largely because seeds need light during germination. Where growing season is short, prepare soil as soon as it can be worked in spring. Sow seeds in moist soil, pressing them in with a board. Scatter a shallow covering of sand. Keep moist. In mild climates, sow seeds in previously flooded, deep furrows in late summer. Prefers cool weather.
Moluccella laevis
Bells-of-Ireland
;
Molucca Balm
;
Shell-Flower
. 2-3 ft. (60-90 cm) high. Leaves roundish or heart-shaped, ¾-1 in. (2-4 cm) long. Flowers fragrant, green, 1-2 in. (2.5-5.0 cm) wide, very numerous, the calyx with 5 small prickles, but expanding in fruit and the nutlets nestled in it. W. Asia. Can be forced in the winter under medium heat. Half-hardy annual.
