Dig into Plants: Bee Balm

Bee Balm

Other Common Names: Wild Bee Balm, Wild Bergamot

Scientific Name: Monarda fistulosa ssp. fistulosa var. fistulosa

Native to Alabama: Yes

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – James L. Reveal

Learn More About...

BASIC INFORMATION

ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS

MAINTENANCE NOTES

HABITAT REQUIREMENTS

LEAF, FLOWER & SEED ID

PLANT LIFE CYCLE

Basic Plant Information

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – James L. Reveal

I am a vascular plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous.
I do not keep leaves year-round, so I am deciduous.
I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial.
I can grow 2 – 4 feet high and 2 – 3 feet wide.

Ecological Benefits

This plant provides food for:

Butterflies

Native Bees

Hummingbirds

Other Plants Found in Alabama with Similar Ecological Benefits:

Eastern Beebalm
(Monarda bradburiana)

Lemon Beebalm
(Monarda citriodora)

Basil Beebalm
(Monarda clinopodia)

Spotted Beebalm
(Monarda punctata)

Red Purple Beebalm
(Monarda russeliana)

Maintenance Notes

Dormant in winter.
Flowers can be cut for an indoor vase.
Can be an aggressive grower.
Cut plant back after hardest-killing frost.
Remove dead flower heads throughout season to prolong summer bloom.
When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds. Water should reach all roots.
Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves.
Requires average amount of water.

Average watering: water two times per week during the summer and once per week during the rest of the year.

Habitat Requirements

This plant prefers:

Full Sun
(6+ hours of sun per day)

Part Sun/Shade
(2-6 hours of sun per day)

Average Watering

Well-drained, Clay,
or Moist Soil

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

USDA Plants Database – Patrick J Alexande

LEAF DESCRIPTION

up to 4-inch long leaves are gray-green in color; stems are square.

Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)


Shape: Lanceolate	Margin: Serrate

Arrangement: Opposite	Form: Simple

Click on image to enlarge it

FLOWER DESCRIPTION

Fragrant; solitary pompom-like cluster of flowers on end of branch upon a whorl of leafy bracts; bilabiate (two-lipped) with narrow upper lip and broad lower lip.

Flower Shape Chart (JPG)


Color: Pink, purple, red, white	Shape: Tubular	Bloom Months: June – Sept

Minnesota Wildflowers Website – Peter M Dziuk

SEED DESCRIPTION

Plant spreads by:
Seeds and Rhizomes/ Tubers/ Roots & Shoots
Seeds fall to the ground and each seed can create a new plant.
Underground rhizomes spread and create new clumps of plants.


Type: Fruit – Dry Seed Pod	Description: small, brown, elongate, round	Months in Seed: Summer – Fall

Plant Life Cycle

Plant Life Cycle:

All plants start life as a seed.
The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots.
The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground.
After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers.
After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed.
When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again.
Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.

General Plant Life Cycle – Dreamstime

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Ready as-is PDF

QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Editable Word Doc

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Editable Word Doc

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