|
Budburst Logo

A project of the Chicago Botanic Garden

  1. The Program
    1. Why Participate
    2. The Budburst App
  2. Projects
    1. Plants & Climate Change
    2. Plant-Animal Interactions
  3. Activities
    1. For Groups
    2. For Educators
    3. For Families
  1. Plants
    1. Intro to Plants
    2. Plant Groups
      1. Wildflower and Herbs
      2. Deciduous Trees and Shrubs
      3. Broadleaf Evergreens
      4. Conifers
      5. Grasses
    3. Budburst Species
  2. Data
  3. Groups
  4. Resources
    1. Getting Started
    2. Phenology
    3. Pollinators
    4. Participating in Groups
    5. Setup for Students
  5. Sign In
  6. Join Budburst
Home  /  Plants  /  Budburst Species  /  Monarda punctata
Phenology Observation Sheet for Wildflowers and Herbs

COMMON NAME

Spotted horsemint

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Monarda punctata

ALSO KNOWN AS

Dotted horse mint, spotted bee balm, horsemint

Plant family

Mint (Lamiaceae)

Plant group

Wildflowers and Herbs

A clump-forming, herbaceous perennial that grows 1-3' tall, with large showy whitish or purplish bracts subtending each cluster of flowers.
26 reports
6+
OBSERVERS
26+
OBSERVATIONS
!

Identification hints

While most other Monarda species have a single cluster of flowers on a stem, Monarda punctata flower clusters are stacked atop one another on a stem. Leaves are aromatic when crushed, smelling like mint.
?

Did you know?

This plant contains thymol, an antiseptic and fungicide. It also attracts many pollinators including hummingbirds, butterflies, and wasps.
DISTRIBUTION IN TH U.S.
Alabama , Arkansas , California , Connecticut , District of Columbia , Delaware , Florida , Georgia , Iowa , Illinois , Indiana , Kansas , Kentucky , Louisiana , Massachusetts , Maryland , Michigan , Minnesota , Missouri , Mississippi , North Carolina , New Jersey , New Mexico , New York , Ohio , Oklahoma , Pennsylvania , South Carolina , Tennessee , Texas , Virginia , Vermont , Wisconsin
HABITAT
Grows in dry, sandy soils in prairies, plains, meadows, and savannas.
ATTRIBUTES
Leaves
Leaves are as long as 3", oblong, toothed, and growing opposite one another on square stems.
Flowers
Flower clusters are composed of many two-lipped yellow flowers with purple spots. Each cluster of flowers rests upon a showy whorl of whitish or purplish bracts.
Fruits
Fruit is a dark brown nutlet.
Bloom Time
Blooms May through August

Do your part for our planet. Join Budburst today.

See Menu
  1. The Program
    1. Why Participate
    2. The Budburst App
  2. Projects
    1. Plants & Climate Change
    2. Plant-Animal Interactions
  3. Activities
    1. For Groups
    2. For Educators
    3. For Families
  4. About us
    1. Our partners
    2. Staff & Sponsors
    3. Publications
    1. Plants
    2. Data
    3. Groups
    4. Resources

Stay Informed

Get the latest from Budburst with
our monthly email newsletter.

Sign Up for Email

Get in Touch

Have any questions or new ideas
you'd like to share?

Contact Us

Get the App

Budburst is a project of the
Chicago Botanic Garden

One of the treasures of the
Forest Preserves of Cook County

Creative Commons
BY-NC-SA 4.0

  1. Terms of Use
  2. Privacy Policy
  3. Data Sharing and Citation Policies
  4. 2021 Chicago Botanic Garden. All Rights Reserved.