Blephilia ciliata

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Blephilia ciliata
Round clusters of lavender flowers surrounding plant stem
Inflorescences

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Blephilia
Species:
B. ciliata
Binomial name
Blephilia ciliata
(
Benth.
Synonyms[1]
List
    • Blephilia beckii Raf.
    • Blephilia brevifolia Raf.
    • Blephilia heterophyla Raf.
    • Blephilia pratensis Raf.
    • Monarda beckii Eaton
    • Monarda ciliata L.

Blephilia ciliata is a species of herbaceous perennial plant in the Lamiaceae (mint) family native to central and eastern North America. It is commonly called downy wood mint.[2] Other common names include downy pagoda-plant, sunny woodmint and Ohio horsemint.[3]

Description

Blephilia ciliata grows as a

lanceolate
, are arranged oppositely on the stem, and measure up to 9 cm (3.5 in) long and 4 cm (1.5 in) across.

The

bracts slightly longer than the flowers.[7] Flower petal color can range from blue, purple or white.[3]

Taxonomy

Carl Linnaeus described the downy wood mint as Monarda ciliata, before George Bentham gave it its current binomial name.[8]

Distribution and habitat

B. ciliata is native in the United States from Oklahoma to the west, Mississippi to the south, Massachusetts to the east, and the Canadian border to the north. In Canada, it is native in Ontario.[9] Its habitats include dry open woods and thickets, clearings, fields, and roadsides.[6]

Ecology

Flowers bloom from May to August and attract numerous bees, plus butterflies and skippers.[5]

Uses

It has traditionally been used by the Cherokee to make a poultice to treat headaches.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Blephilia ciliata". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Blephilia ciliata". Canadensys. Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  3. ^ a b Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (26 August 2015). "Blephilia ciliata". University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  4. ISBN 0-8203-2748-4
    .
  5. ^ a b "Downy Wood Mint (Blephilia ciliata)". www.illinoiswildflowers.info.
  6. ^ a b "Blephilia ciliata - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
  7. ^ "Blephilia ciliata page". www.missouriplants.com.
  8. ^ Bentham, George (1836). Labiatarum genera et species: or, A description of the genera and species of plants of the order Labiatae; with their general history, characters, affinities, and geographical distribution. London: James Ridgway and Sons. p. 319.
  9. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org.
  10. Herald Publishing Co. p. 45. Archived from the original
    on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
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