Monarda citriodora
Monarda citriodora, also known as lemon mint, lemon beebalm, lemon horsemint, purple horsemint, or lemon bergamot, is a hardy annual (sometimes biennial) plant commonly found in rocky or sandy prairies, pastures, and roadsides. Its habitat extends from South Carolina and Florida west to Missouri, Texas, and Mexico. This plant typically grows 12-30” tall.
It produces tubular, scented, two-lipped flowers in shades ranging from light lavender to pink to white, which bloom in dense, rounded, head-like clusters from spring to mid-summer. The flowers appear on stiff square stems covered with narrow lanceolate to oblong, awn-tipped serrate leaves (up to 2.5” long). Upper stem leaves may be in whorls. Each flower stem usually has 2 to 6 interrupted flower clusters, each group being subtended by white to pink-lavender bracts.
The flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, especially when they are massed. The leaves have a distinctive lemony aroma when rubbed. Some monardas are called bee balm because the leaves were previously used as a balm for bee stings.
Height: 1’-2.5’
Spread: .75’-1’
Bloom: May-August
Light: Full Sun, Part Shade
Water: Low to Medium
Zone: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
Origin: Central & Southern U.S. & Northern Mexico
