Herbs That Grow in Tiers Around a Stalk

Mints

• Mint, or the Mentha species, is a family of culinary herbs identified by stems that are square in cross-section, leaves that grow in pairs tiered along a central stem and a distinctive scent when the leaves are crushed. Mint can also be identified by its aggressive growing habit. Spreading by roots and horizontal runners, mint is usually found in extensive patches unless it has been corralled by sunken containers in a garden. Mint species and cultivars include peppermint, spearmint, chocolate mint and orange mint varieties. Pennyroyal and Corsican mint have a lower-growing, matlike profile, and the leaf tiers may be less distinct on these varieties.

  Lemon balm, or Melissa officinalis, is scented heavily with the fragrance of lemon oil and can be used fresh or dried in teas and cooking. Its similarity to mint in appearance and growing habits--and in aggressiveness--put it the same plant family, but its scent makes distinguishing it from Mentha species quite easy.

Bee Balm

• Bee balm, or Monarda didyma, is a tall flowering tea herb. Although dwarf cultivars are available, most garden and wild varieties grow 2 to 4 feet tall, with large paired leaves spaced in tiers 2 to 5 inches apart around a sturdy stalk, ending in a firework-shaped flower head in shades ranging from pale lavender to deepest burgundy.

Heal-All and Boneset

• Two wild medicinal herbs, heal-all and boneset, grow with leaves in tiers around a stem, but the two plants are easily distinguished from each other. Heal-all, or Prunella vulgaris, is a low-growing ground cover with fleshy purple flower heads. Often found in lawns and open meadows, heal-all leaves grow in opposite pairs on short stems off the main stalk. Boneset, or Eupatorium perfoliatum, grows 2 to 4 feet tall in wet locations and bears terminal clusters of white flowers from midsummer until autumn. Boneset's leaves grow in connected pairs that engulf the main stem. Boneset may be found around old homesteads, as it was widely used to fight flu and other fevers in the 19th century, according to the Kentucky State University Extension.

Valerian

• Valerian, or Valeriana officinalis, is an herb that self-seeds, as well as regrowing from the ground up on last year's root stock each spring. Valerian grows 3 to 5 feet tall each summer on a thick but hollow main stem. Its compound leaves grow in whorls around the central stalk. Valerian tea and extracts from valerian roots are used as medicinal tea and mild sedatives, according to the Purdue University Horticultural Department. The plant is also grown as an ornamental in cottage and herb gardens for its striking tall looks and its white to pale pink flower heads.