Alan Davidson

Lemon Verbena

Appears in
Oxford Companion to Food
Oxford Companion to Food

By Alan Davidson

Published 2014

  • About

Lippia triphylla, a small deciduous shrub with yellow green leaves and pale lavender flowers, was introduced to Britain from Chile in the 18th century. It belongs to the same family as Mexican oregano, L. graveolens, see oregano.

It can be grown in Britain, France, and Spain where it is used to make health-giving lemon-flavoured teas. It has a lemon scent and flavour. The leaves can be used in drinks, salads, fruit dishes, and desserts and in sauce recipes which call for a lemon flavour.