Also called bergamot, bee balm, horsemint, and oswego tea, Monarda is a genus of annuals and herbaceous perennials belonging to the deadnettle family, Lamiaceae, that also includes mint, lavender and sage. Plants grow 8-60″ tall and have stems that are square in cross section and carry lanceolate leaves that are 2.8-5.5″ long and have toothed margins. The red, pink, pale yellow or light purple flowers are borne in terminal head-like clusters and are tubular with a narrow upper lip and a wider lower lip. The flowers attract hummingbirds and pollinating insects but the plants tend to develop powdery mildew in high humidity. They thrive in moist, well-drained soil in sun but tolerate partial shade.
The genus name, Monarda, honors Nicholas Monardes (1493-1588), physician and botanist of Seville, Spain.
Photo Credit: Hardyplants, Wikimedia Commons
The environmental conditions of the Midwest resulted in at least eight native species of Monarda there but they may be native to other places too. All the Monardas described below are native to at least one state in the Midwest.
Eastern Beebalm (Monarda bradburiana)
The gray-green aromatic leaves are up to 4″ long and form a neat mound. The flowers are carried in globular terminal clusters 2-3″ across and are attractive to humming birds, butterflies and other pollinators, including bumble bees.
Alternate Name/s: Wild bergamot, horsemint
Native Range: South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana as well as areas of the Southeast and Southwest
Habitat: Open areas such as woodland borders, savannahs, grasslands, meadows and thickets.
Type: Perennial
Height: 1-2′
Bloom Time: Late spring to early summer
Bloom Color: White or pink speckled with purple
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Average, dry to medium moist, well-drained; tolerates lean soil and some drought
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-8
Photo Credit: peganum, Wikimedia Commons
Lemon Beebalm (Monarda citriodora)
A stout stem bears aromatic, narrow, toothed green leaves up to 3″ long, and 2-6 interrupted clusters of lavender to pink or white flowers heads from late spring to summer. The flowers are attractive to humming birds, butterflies and other pollinators including bumblebees.
Alternate Name/s: Lemon mint, purple horsemint
Native Range: Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Michigan as well as parts of the Southeast, Southwest, Rocky Mountain area, and Pacific Coast.
Habitat: Prairies, pastures, meadows, savannahs, open limestone areas, rocky slopes, hills
Type: Annual or biennial
Height: 1-2.5′
Bloom Time: Late spring through summer
Bloom Color: Lavender to pink or white
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Average, dry to medium moist, well-drained; alkaline
USDA Hardiness Zones: 2-11
Photo Credit: Michael Wolf, Wikimedia Commons
White Bergamot (Monarda clinopedia)
The edible green leaves are oval, shallowly toothed, and 3-6″ long. The mildly fragrant flowers are carried in 2″ wide terminal clusters, and are white to creamy white with purple spots. They are attractive to birds, butterflies and other pollinators including bumble bees.
Alternate Name/s: Basil bee balm or white bee balm
Native Range: Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Missouri as well as parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast
Habitat: Moist woods, thickets, ravines, and stream-banks
Type: Perennial
Height: 3-6.7 ‘
Bloom Time: Mid spring to fall
Bloom Color: White or cream with purple spots
Light: Full sun to part shade
Soil: Average, medium moist, well-drained
USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-8
Photo Credit: Fritzflohrreynolds, Wikimedia Commons
Basil Beebalm (Monarda clinopodioides)
The oblong leaves taper at both ends and have toothed margins and hairy undersides. Clusters of white or pink flowers speckled with purple appear in the axils of the upper leaves from late spring into fall. The flowers are of special value to bumble bees.
Alternate Name/s: None
Native Range: Kansas as well as parts of the Southwest and Southeast.
Habitat: Prairies, pastures, meadows, fields, and woodland edges
Type: Annual
Height: 8-12″
Bloom Time: Late spring into fall
Bloom Color: White, pink with purple spots
Light: Full sun
Soil: Sandy, dry to medium moist, well-drained
USDA Hardiness Zones: Not Relevant
Photo Credit: Megan Cassidy, Wikimedia Commons
Scarlet Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
The coarse green leaves are 3-6″ long, ovate to lance shaped with serrated margins, reddish veins, and hairy undersides. In early to late summer, bright red flowers appear in dense rounded terminal clusters of about 30 subtended by a whorl or red-tinged leafy bracts. The clusters are 3-4″ across and attract humming birds, butterflies, and other pollinators including bumble bees.
Alternate Name/s: Oswego tea, bergamot, crimson bee balm, Eau-de-Cologne plant
Native Range: Minnesota, Wisconsin Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, and Missouri, as well as places in the Pacific Coast, Southeast, Mid Atlantic, and New England
Habitat: Moist woods, thickets, bottomlands and along stream banks
Type: Perennial
Height: 2-4′
Bloom Time: Summer
Bloom Color: Bright red
Light: Full sun; tolerates some shade
Soil: Fertile humusy, medium moist to wet, well-drained; does not tolerate drying out
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9
Photo Credit: NellsWiki, Wikimedia Commons
Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Oblong, grayish-green leaves are up to 4″ long. The pink to lavender flowers appear in dense, rounded terminal clusters subtended by a whorl of showy, pinkish, leafy bracts. The flowers attract humming birds, butterflies, and other pollinators including bumble bees.
Alternate Name/s: Bee balm, eastern bergamot
Native Range: All the Midwest as well as all the rest of the US except California and Florida
Habitat: Prairies, fields, wet meadows, marshes, dry open woods, woodland margins
Type: Perennial
Height: 2-4′
Bloom Time: Summer
Bloom Color: Pink to lavender
Light :Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Fertile, dry to medium moist, well-drained; tolerates poor soil, drought and heat
USDA Hardiness Zones:3-9
Photo Credit: D. Gordon E. Robertson, Wikimedia Commons
Purple Bergamot (Monarda media)
Silvery green leaves are lance-shaped, covered with fine hairs, and have serrated margins and a strong mint fragrance. Cluster of reddish-purple flowers subtended by purplish bracts appear from mid to late summer. The clusters are up to 2.5″ wide, fragrant and attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators including bumble bees. The seeds are eaten by goldfinches.
Alternate Name/s: Horsemint
Native Range: Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, as well as parts of New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast.
Habitat: Swampy habitats, stream banks, thickets
Type: Perennial
Height: 2-3′
Bloom Time: Mid to late summer
Bloom Color: Reddish purple
Light: Full sun to light shade
Soil: Humusy, moist, occasionally wet, well-drained, acidic
USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9
Photo Credit: Evan M. Raskin, Wikimedia Commons
Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata)
The narrowly lanceolate leaves are 1-3″ long and have dentate margins and a Greek oregano fragrance. Clusters of pale yellow flowers spotted with purple appear in in the leaf axils and stem ends over a long bloom time starting in late spring to summer. Each cluster is subtended by light pink to white tinged leafy bracts which are more showy than the flowers. The flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators including bumble bees and beneficial wasps.
Alternate Name/s: Dotted beebalm, dotted horsemint
Native Range: All the Midwest except North Dakota and South Dakota as well as areas in the Pacific Coast, Rocky Mountain area, Southwest, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and New England
Habitat: Prairies, pastures, meadows, savannas, sandy areas, rocky woodlands, and coastal plains.
Type: Perennial
Height: 1-5′
Bloom Time: Late spring to fall
Bloom Color: Pale yellow spotted with purple
Light: Full sun, part shade
Soil: Average, sandy, dry to medium moist, well-drained; tolerant of drought and poor soil
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8
Photo Credit: Amber M. King, Wikimedia Commons
The Midwest includes the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The area features lakes, mountains, and vast fertile plains that are the “bread basket” of the nation. The climate of the Midwest has great variations in temperatures with hot humid temperature averaging 85-95 F in summer and winter temperatures often falling below 0 F. Precipitation comes in the form of both rain and snow and varies from 43.6″/year to 18.8″/year.