Monarda didyma

Monarda didyma, the 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 (used to flavor Earl Grey tea). The genus name comes from Nicolas Monardes, who described the first American flora in 1569.[4]

Monarda didyma seed head
Not to be confused with Bergamot orange (used in Earl Grey tea); or Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot).

Monarda didyma
Flower being visited by a hummingbird
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Monarda
Species:
M. didyma
Binomial name
Monarda didyma
U.S. distribution of Monarda didyma

Description

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]

Ecology

This plants attracts hummingbirds and is a larval host to the hermit sphinx, orange mint moth, and the raspberry pyrausta.[6]

Cultivation and uses

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 thrives 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.[7]

Beebalm has a long history of use as a medicinal plant by many Native Americans, including the Blackfoot. The Blackfoot people recognized this plant's strong antiseptic action, and used poultices of the plant for skin infections and minor wounds. An herbal tea made from the plant was also used to treat mouth and throat infections caused by dental caries and gingivitis. Beebalm is a 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. It was also used as a carminative herb by Native Americans to treat excessive flatulence.[8][9] The Native Americans of Oswego, New York, made the leaves into a tea, giving the plant one of its common names.[10]

Monarda didyma

References
  1. "Monarda didyma". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. "Monarda didyma". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2013.
  3. "Monarda didyma". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA.
  4. "Monarda didyma". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  5. Tenaglia, Dan. "Monarda didyma page". Missouri Plants. Missouri Botanical Garden.
  6. The Xerces Society (2016), Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects, Timber Press.
  7. Blanchan, Neltje (2005). Wild Flowers Worth Knowing. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
  8. Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West, Gregory L. Tilford, ISBN 0-87842-359-1
  9. Pink, A. (2004). Gardening for the Million. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
  10. Niering, William A.; Olmstead, Nancy C. (1985) [1979]. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region. Knopf. p. 575. ISBN 0-394-50432-1.
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