Monarda
Monarda | |
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Monarda didyma | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Lamiaceae |
Subfamily: | Nepetoideae |
Tribe: | Mentheae |
Genus: | Monarda L.[1] |
Type species | |
Monarda fistulosa | |
Synonyms[2] | |
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Monarda is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae.[3] The genus is endemic to North America.[2][4] Common names include bergamot, bee balm, horsemint, and oswego tea, the first being inspired by the fragrance of the leaves, which is reminiscent of bergamot orange (Citrus bergamia). The genus was named for the Spanish botanist Nicolás Monardes, who wrote a book in 1574 describing plants of the New World.
Description
Monarda species include
or sparsely hairy, and about 7–14 cm (2.8–5.5 in) long.The flowers are tubular and bilaterally symmetric, with a narrow upper lip and a wider lower lip. The wild flowers are single, but some cultivated forms have double flowers. They are
Uses
The crushed leaves of all species exude a spicy, fragrant essential oil. Of the species examined in one study, M. didyma contained the highest concentration of oil.[7]
Several species, including
Although somewhat bitter due to the thymol content in the leaves and buds, the plant tastes like a mix of
Cultivation
Monarda plants thrive in sun and moist but well-drained soil. Plants growing in partial shade spread horizontally and produce fewer flowers. Monarda are used in beds and borders to attract hummingbirds, pollinating insects, and insects that control garden pests. They are prone to developing powdery mildew in high humidity, especially if planted in a place without good air circulation.[9]
Hybrid
Cultivars
The following cultivars have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:[11]
The
Carole Whittaker of Glyn Bach Gardens was appointed International Cultivar Registration Authority for Mondarda in 2019, and currently recognises over 100 cultivars.[18]
Ecology
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Monarda_pollination_2012.jpg/170px-Monarda_pollination_2012.jpg)
Monarda species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including case-bearers of the genus Coleophora. Coleophora monardae feeds only on Monarda plants, and C. heinrichella and C. monardella only feed on the species M. fistulosa.[citation needed]
Taxonomy
Monarda is in the tribe Mentheae of the subfamily Nepetoideae in the mint family. Molecular phylogenetic studies of this tribe have been poorly sampled, and relationships within it remain unclear.[19] The genera Blephilia and Pycnanthemum are close relatives of Monarda, but they might not be the closest.[6] Monarda is divided into two distinct subgenera, Monarda and Cheilyctis.[20] These are easily distinguished by several characteristics.[3]
Species
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Bee_balm_seedhead_%2870424%29.jpg/220px-Bee_balm_seedhead_%2870424%29.jpg)
Species in the genus include:
- Monarda bartlettii Standl. - Tamaulipas, Veracuz
- Monarda balmettii Nutt. - fools balm - northwest United States
- Monarda bradburiana L.C.Beck – eastern beebalm - mid Mississippi Valley
- Monarda citriodora Cerv. ex Lag. – lemon beebalm, lemon-mint - southern United States, northern Mexico
- Monarda clinopodia L. – white bergamot, basil beebalm - eastern United States, especially Appalachians
- Monarda clinopodioides A.Gray – basil beebalm - Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana
- Monarda didyma L. – Oswego tea, scarlet beebalm, fragrantbalm, mountain-mint - eastern United States, especially Appalachians, eastern Canada
- Monarda eplingiana Standl. - Coahuila
- Monarda fistulosa L. – wild bergamot, mintleaf beebalm, horse-mint, purple beebalm - widespread across most of United States + Canada; Tamaulipas, Nuevo León; cultivated in China and elsewhere[21]
- Monarda fruticulosa Epling – spotted beebalm - southern Texas
- Monarda humilis (Torr.) Prather & J.A.Keith - New Mexico
- Monarda lindheimeri Engelm. & A.Gray ex A.Gray – Lindheimer's beebalm - Texas, Louisiana, southwestern Arkansas
- Monarda luteola Singhurst & W.C.Holmes - northeastern Texas, southwestern Arkansas
- Monarda maritima (Cory) Correll – seaside beebalm - coastal plain of Texas
- Monarda media Willd. – purple bergamot - Ontario, eastern United States
- Monarda × medioides W.H.Duncan - Georgia, Indiana (M. fistulosa × M. media)
- Monarda pectinata Nutt. – plains beebalm, pony beebalm, spotted beebalm - central + southwestern United States (Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, southwestern desert mountains)
- Monarda pringlei Fernald - Nuevo León
- Monarda punctata L. – spotted beebalm, dotted monarda, horse-mint - Quebec, Ontario, eastern + south-central United States, California, northeastern Mexico
- Monarda russeliana Nutt. ex Sims – redpurple beebalm - Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky
- Monarda stanfieldii Small – Stanfield's beebalm - central Texas
- Monarda viridissima Correll – green beebalm - east-central Texas
Formerly placed here
- Blephilia ciliata (L.) Benth. (as M. ciliata L.)
- Blephilia hirsuta (Pursh) Benth. (as M. ciliata Pursh)
References
- ^ "Genus: Monarda L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2004-09-10. Archived from the original on 2012-05-31. Retrieved 2011-10-08.
- ^ a b "Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families". Retrieved 24 August 2018.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-540-40593-1
- ^ "2013 BONAP North American Plant Atlas. TaxonMaps". bonap.net. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
- JSTOR 2442781
- ^ doi:10.1043/0363-6445-27.1.127 (inactive 31 January 2024))
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link - ISBN 0-486-23051-1
- ^ ISBN 0-87842-359-1
- ^ "Growing Bee Balm: How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Bee Balm". almanac.com. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
- ^ Mazza, G.; et al. (1993), Janick, J. and J. E. Simon (ed.), "Monarda: A source of geraniol, linalool, thymol and carvacrol-rich essential oils", New Crops, Wiley, New York, pp. 628–631
- ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 65. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Monarda 'Beauty of Cobham'". Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Monarda 'Gardenview Scarlet'". Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Monarda 'Marshall's Delight'". Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Monarda 'Squaw'". Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Monarda 'Talud'". Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ "Glynbachgardens". www.glynbachgardens.co.uk. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
- ^ Carole, Whittaker. "Monarda". Glyn Bach Gardens. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ Scora, R. W. 1967. Interspecific relationships in the genus Monarda (Labiatae). University of California Publications in Botany 41(1), 1–71.
- ^ Flora of China Vol. 17 Page 223 拟美国薄荷 ni mei guo bo he Monarda fistulosa Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 22. 1753.
- Secondary sources
- Gardner, J. (1998). Herbs in bloom: A guide to growing herbs as ornamental plants. Portland, Oregon:Timber Press.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)