Lamiaceae: Monarda fistulosa
Files
Download Seed: The brownish nutlet of beebalm is 1.5-2 mm long. (61 KB)
Download Seedling: One month old beebalm seedling grown in research greenhouse at SDSU in Brookings, S.D. (65 KB)
Download Vegetative: The leaves of beebalm are 3-10 cm long and coarsely serrate. (56 KB)
Download Flowering: The rounded flower heads are on top of the stems. (489 KB)
Download Fruiting: Beebalm begins to fruit in late summer producing a nutlet within each tubular corolla. (783 KB)
Family Name
Lamiaceae
Common Name
Beebalm, horsemint, wild bergamot
Native American Name
Lakota: heȟáka tȟapȟéžuta,
Description
Monarda fistulosa is an aromatic, rhizomatous perennial herb with simple to branched, square stems, 30-120 cm tall, the upper portions hairy. The simple, opposite leaves are petiolate (10-25 mm long). The blades are lanceolate to ovate, 2-5 cm long and 4-20 mm wide, with small glands, a pointed tip, and toothed to subentire margins. The inflorescence is a terminal cluster of flowers on the main stem and branch ends, 1-5 cm wide, excluding the corollas, and subtended by green to whitish bracts, 1-2.5 cm long. The calyx forms a hairy tube, 5.5-11 mm long with teeth up to 1.5 mm long. The pale to dark lavender (rarely white) bilabiate corolla is 2-3.5 cm long, the outer surface hairy, the tube at the base slender, 15-25 mm long, the upper lip erect and shorter than the tube, and the lower lip is spreading, 3-lobed. The stamens are exerted from the upper lip. The fruit are 4 brown to black nutlets, 1.5-2 mm long. Beebalm blooms from June into September on prairie hillsides, along roads and open woodlands in most of South Dakota.
Horticulture Notes
Seed Collection: Collect seed in the fall after flowers are dry,
Germination: No pretreatment needed.
Vegetative Propagation: Division of rhizomes of mature plants.
Soils: Well-drained, sandy loams. Plants can tolerate some clay soils.
Light: Full sun to light shade.
Water: Moist site preferred, but plants can tolerate drier conditions.
Additional Notes
Beebalm is a stunning addition to a native plant garden. It has a strong and pleasant scent and very attractive flowers. The flowers attract bumblebees, and in a large plantings, the air is filled with the buzz of wings of bumblebees that act as though inebriated. Later, the seeds bring in many birds that feed on them. The only drawback to this species is its susceptibility to powdery mildew. The leaves of wild bergamot can be used to season foods or made into a very strong flavored tea.