Monarda citriodora Cerv. ex Lag.
EOL Text
Lemon Bee Balm will adapt to full sun, mesic to dry conditions, and many kinds of soil, including clay-loam. In rich soil with abundant moisture, this wildflower may become excessively tall and topple over.
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| Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
| Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/lemon_bb.html |
Monarda citriodora is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae, that is native much of the United States[2] and Mexico.[1] Common names include Lemon Beebalm, Lemon Mint (this may also apply to Melissa officinalis) and Purple Horsemint. When crushed, the leaves emit an odor reminiscent of lemons. This odor is sometimes described as more resembling oregano, especially late in the season. Its purple flowers are highly attractive to butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.
Contents
Description[edit]
Lemon Beebalm can tolerate dry soil, and requires little water and direct sun light. Several stems grow from the base and are lined with pairs of lance-shaped leaves. It grows quickly during spring, reaching up to 3 feet high, and blooms its white, purple and pink colored flowers from May through July, continuing to bloom even later in the year if given water. The plant dies with the first frost, and although lemon beebalm is an annual, its seeds can germinate and grow the following year.
Habitat and range[edit]
This widespread plant grows in prairies, roadsides and other sunny habitats from Arizona to Florida, and from Nebraska to Michoacán. It prefers soils with a high percentage of clay, such as the vertisols and mollisols typical of tallgrass prairies, where it sometimes forms impressive blankets of summer flowers.
- Varieties[3]
- Monarda citriodora var. austromontana (Epling) B.L.Turner - Arizona, New Mexico, Chihuahua, Sonora, and elsewhere in Mexico
- Monarda citriodora var. citriodora - Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Utah, Texas, Tamaulipas
- Monarda citriodora var. parva Scora - southern Texas
Uses[edit]
Culinary[edit]
Some people use lemon beebalm as an addition to salads and teas. It's also used sometimes in wines and liqueurs. It can give a good flavor to certain seafood and meat dishes too, such as crab and chicken. Lemon Beebalm is an ingredient in many dessert recipes, and is used for flavoring in cakes, cheesecakes, sauces, and pies.
But most recipes bearing the name "lemon mint" actually used spearmint and the juice or other components of the actual fruit of the lemon plant rather than this plant. However, Lemon Beebalm is occasionally used in herbal teas.
Medicinal[edit]
Teas made from the leaves can treat colds, coughs, fevers, and respiratory problems.[4]
Insect repellent[edit]
The essential oil of Lemon Beebalm contains citronellol, which makes it useful as an insect repellent. It has been used to deter fleas and mites.[5]
References[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Monarda citriodora. |
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Wikispecies has information related to: Monarda citriodora |
- ^ a b "Taxon: Monarda citriodora Cerv. ex Lag.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 1997-05-22. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
- ^ "Monarda citriodora Cerv. ex Lag. lemon beebalm". USDA PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
- ^ Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant families
- ^ Garrett, Howard; Odena Brannam (2001). Herbs for Texas. University of Texas Press. pp. 112–113. ISBN 978-0-292-72830-1.
- ^ Turner, Matt (2009). Remarkable Plants of Texas: Uncommon Accounts of Our Common Natives. Austin: University of Texas Press. pp. 241–243. ISBN 0-292-71851-9.
- "Lemon Mint Monarda citriodora". Wildflower Information.org.
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| Rights holder/Author | Wikipedia |
| Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monarda_citriodora&oldid=623095860 |
This wildflower is an annual or biennial about 1-2½' tall that is either unbranched or sparingly so. The central stem is pale green, rather stout, terete or angular, and densely short-pubescent. Pairs of opposite leaves occur along this stem. Individual leaves are 1-3" long, ¼-¾" across, more or less elliptic or elliptic-oblong in shape, smooth along the margins, and either sessile or tapering gradually to a short petiole. The upper leaf surface is pale to medium green and sparsely canescent, while the lower surface is pale green and short-pubescent. The central stem terminates into 2 or more whorls of flowers. Underneath each whorl of flowers, there is a whorl of floral bracts with a colorful leafy appearance. Individual flowers are about ¾" long, consisting of a light pink to purplish pink corolla that is deeply two-lipped, a green to purplish green tubular calyx with 5 teeth that terminate into conspicuous awns, and the reproductive organs (2 stamens & a pistil) that remain largely inserted within the corolla. The narrow upper lip of the corolla functions as a protective hood, while the narrow lower lip has 3 terminal lobes and functions as a landing pad for floral visitors. The upper lip is softly hairy at its apex. The corolla is not spotted, although it may have stripes within its interior. The teeth of the calyx are deltate-linear in shape; including the awns, they are at least 3 times longer than they are across. The floral bracts are about the same size as the true leaves. These bracts are about the same color as the corollas of the flowers (light pink to purplish pink, although with some greenish tints) and more or less oblong in shape; their tips taper abruptly into awns. The blooming period occurs during the summer for 1-2 months. Afterwards, the flowers are replaced by nutlets. These nutlets are distributed primarily by gravity and usually they don't travel far from the mother plant.
| 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/lemon_bb.html |
Lemon Bee Balm is not native to Illinois; it is either adventive from the Great Plains or western states, where it is native, or it is an escape from cultivation. As a naturalized plant, Lemon Bee Balm is rare in Illinois, where it has been found only in Cook County (within the NE section of the state). Habitat information is unavailable for Illinois, but in its native range this wildflower is found primarily in dry prairies. It is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens.
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| Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
| Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/lemon_bb.html |
United States
Origin: Unknown/Undetermined
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Unknown/Undetermined
Confidence: Confident
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| Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
| Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Monarda+citriodora |
Chile Central
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| Rights holder/Author | Pablo Gutierrez, IABIN |
| Source | No source database. |
Lemon Bee Balm is not native to Illinois; it is either adventive from the Great Plains or western states, where it is native, or it is an escape from cultivation. As a naturalized plant, Lemon Bee Balm is rare in Illinois, where it has been found only in Cook County (within the NE section of the state). Habitat information is unavailable for Illinois, but in its native range this wildflower is found primarily in dry prairies. It is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens.
| 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/lemon_bb.html |
The nectar of the flowers can be expected to attract such visitors as the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, bumblebees, hummingbird clear-wing moths (Hemaris spp.), and butterflies. There is also some evidence that Checkered beetles (Cleridae) occasionally visit the flowers of Lemon Bee Balm (Mawdsley, 2002). Some insects feed on the foliage and flowers of Monarda spp. (Bee Balms) destructively. This includes caterpillars of such moths as the Gray Marvel (Anterastria teratophora; syn. Agriopodes teratophora), two Pyralid moths (Pyrausta orphisalis and Pyrausta signatalis), and the Hermit Sphinx (Sphinx eremitus). Other insect feeders include a tortoise beetle (Physonota unipunctata), a leaf-footed bug (Euthochtha galeator), a scentless plant bug (Arhyssus nigristernum), and an aphid (Hyalomyzus monardae). Mammalian herbivores dislike the fragrant foliage and avoid consumption of Lemon Bee Balm.
| 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/lemon_bb.html |
Monarda citriodora (Lemon Bee Balm) introduced
(this plant is adventive from the Great Plains; insect activity is unspecified; information is limited; observations are from Mawdsley)
Beetles
Cleridae: Phyllobaenus pubescens (Mwd), Trichodes bibalteatus (Mwd)
| 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/lm_beebalm.htm |
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 0
Specimens with Barcodes: 4
Species With Barcodes: 1