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Lamiaceae Taxonomy Browser
Monarda L.
EOL Text
Canada
Origin: Native
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
United States
Origin: Native
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
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Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Monarda+didyma |
Monarda didyma (crimson beebalm, scarlet beebalm, scarlet monarda, Oswego tea, or bergamot) is an aromatic herb in the family Lamiaceae, native to eastern North America from Maine west to Ontario and Minnesota, and south to northern Georgia.[1][2][3] Its odor is considered similar to that of the bergamot orange (the source of bergamot oil used to flavor Earl Grey tea). The scientific name comes from Nicolas Monardes, who described the first American flora in 1569.[4]
Description[edit]
This hardy perennial plant grows to 0.7-1.5 m in height, with the stems square in cross-section. The leaves are opposite on the square stems, 6–15 cm long and 3–8 cm broad, and dark green with reddish leaf veins and a coarsely-toothed margin; they are glabrous or sparsely pubescent above, with spreading hairs below. It has ragged, bright red tubular flowers 3–4 cm long, borne on showy heads of about 30 together, with reddish bracts. It grows in dense clusters along stream banks, thickets and ditches, flowering from mid- to late summer.[5]
Cultivation and uses[edit]
Crimson beebalm is extensively grown as an ornamental plant, both within and outside its native range; it is naturalized further west in the United States and also in parts of Europe and Asia. It grows best in full sun, but tolerates light shade and will thrive in any moist, but well-drained soil. Several cultivars have been selected for different flower color, ranging from white through pink to dark red and purple.[6]
Beebalm has a long history of use as a medicinal plant by many Native Americans, including the Blackfeet. The Blackfeet Indians recognized this plant's strong antiseptic action, and used poultices of the plant for skin infections and minor wounds.[citation needed] An herbal tea made from the plant was also used to treat mouth and throat infections caused by dental caries and gingivitis.[citation needed] Beebalm is the natural source of the antiseptic thymol, the primary active ingredient in modern commercial mouthwash formulas. The Winnebago used an herbal tea made from beebalm as a general stimulant.[citation needed] It was also used as a carminative herb by Native Americans to treat excessive flatulence.[7][8]
References[edit]
- ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^ Biota of North America Program 2013 county distribution map
- ^ USDA Plants Profile: Monarda didyma
- ^ Germplasm Resources Information Network: Monarda didyma
- ^ Missouri Plants: Monarda didyma
- ^ Blanchan, Neltje (2005). Wild Flowers Worth Knowing. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
- ^ Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West, Gregory L. Tilford, ISBN 0-87842-359-1
- ^ Pink, A. (2004). Gardening for the Million. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Monarda didyma. |
Wikiversity has bloom time data for Monarda didyma on the Bloom Clock |
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Rights holder/Author | Wikipedia |
Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monarda_didyma&oldid=641341505 |
Chile Central
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Pablo Gutierrez, IABIN |
Source | No source database. |
Monarda is a genus in the mint family (Lamiaceae). It contains 16 species, all endemic to eastern North America, and closely related to the pagoda plants (genus Blephilia) and the mountain mints (genus Pycnanthemum). Commonly known as the bee balms, Oswego Tea, Monarda, Bergamot, and Horsemint, the genus is named for 16th century Spanish horticulturalist Nicolas Monardes. The red, pink, purple tubular flowers attract bee, butterfly and hummingbird pollinators, and the genus is commonly cultivated for gardens and landscapes; most cultivars are crosses between M. didyma and M. fistulosa. Native American tribes used Monarda species (especially didyma and fistulosa) for a variety of medicinal properties, notably as antiseptics, and for seasoning food.
Monarda species are fast growers, typically reaching up to 2.5-3 feet (75-90 cm) tall. Some species are perennial, some annual. Like most mints, Monarda species have four-sided stems with sides separated by discrete angles. Though popular garden plants, Monarda species can be invasive and most are highly susceptible to powdery mildew, although some varieties have been bred for resistance to this pest.
(Hawk 1998; Perry, date unknown; Prather et al. 2002; Wikipedia 2014)
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Dana Campbell, Dana Campbell |
Source | No source database. |
Chile Central
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Pablo Gutierrez, IABIN |
Source | No source database. |
Monarda sp. (Bee Balm)
(beetle activity is unspecified; information is limited; observations are from Lisberg & Young)
Beetles
Mordellidae: Hoshihananomia octopunctata (LY), Mordella quadripunctata (LY)
- Hilty, J. Editor. 2015. Insect Visitors of Illinois Wildflowers. World Wide Web electronic publication. illinoiswildflowers.info, version (09/2015)
See: Abbreviations for Insect Activities, Abbreviations for Scientific Observers, References for behavioral observations
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2015 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/flower_insects//plants/bee_balm.html |
Plants annual. Stems subglabrous, villous on nodes and at apex along angles, glabrescent. Petiole to 2.5 cm, nearly lacking apically, base slightly dilated; leaf blade ovate-lanceolate, to 10 × 4.5 cm, papery, adaxially villous or glabrescent, abaxially sparsely, impressed glandular, villous on veins, base rounded, margin unequally serrate, apex acuminate. Verticillasters in terminal capitula to 6 cm in diam.; bracts short petiolate, leaflike, margin entire, red, shorter than capitula; bracteoles linear-subulate, ca. 10 × 1.5 mm, long caudate, puberulent, red. Pedicel ca. 1 mm, puberulent. Calyx slightly curved, ca. 10 × 2.5 mm, purple-red when dry, veins pubescent, throat sparsely hirsute; teeth equal, subulate-triangular, ca. 1 mm, apex spinescent. Corolla purple-red, ca. 2.5 cm, puberulent; upper lip straight, slightly recurved outward, margin entire; lower lip spreading, with middle lobe narrower, emarginate. Fl. Jul.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200019856 |
Bee Balm has naturalized in only a few counties in Illinois and is relatively uncommon in the wild (see Distribution Map). However, it is often grown in flower gardens. Bee Balm is native to the Northeastern states, but its original range did not extend as far to the west as Illinois. Habitats include moist open woodlands, woodland borders, thickets, meadows in floodplain areas, and waste areas.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/bee_balm.htm |
Cultivated in China [North America].
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200019856 |
The nectar of the flowers attracts hummingbirds, Swallowtail butterflies, and probably bumblebees. The caterpillars of various moths feed on Monarda spp., including Agriopodes teratophora (The Gray Marvel), Sphinx eremitus (Hermit Sphinx), and Pyrausta orphisalis (Pyralid Moth sp.). The aromatic foliage of Bee Balm is disagreeable to mammalian herbivores and it is rarely eaten. Photographic Location
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/bee_balm.htm |