What is "cedronella"

Cedronella is a genus of flowering plants in the Mentheae tribe of family Lamiaceae, comprising a single species, Cedronella canariensis, native to the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira. It is also naturalized in various places ( South Africa, St. Helena, New Zealand, California). Common names include Canary Islands-balm, Canary balm, and Balm-of-Gilead.

It is a perennial herbaceous plant growing to 1-1.5 m tall. The distinctive feature of these plants is the compound leaves consisting of 3 leaflets, unusual in the Lamiaceae, which usually have simple leaves. The leafy stems terminate in dense, short spikes of flowers with tubular 2-lipped white or pink flowers.

The genus name is a diminutive of Cedrus, though the only connection between this herb and the large conifers of Cedrus is a vaguely similar resinous scent of the foliage.