Monarda bradburiana Beck

Species Classification and Growth Form

Monarda bradburiana Beck is a herbaceous perennial plant that reaches 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 cm) in height.

Stem Characteristics

Its stems are scantily branched, square, and usually hairless, though new growth may occasionally have a small number of hairs along the stem angles.

Leaf Arrangement and Size

Leaves grow in opposite pairs, measuring around 3.5 inches (9 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) wide.

Leaf Shape and Margins

They are shaped ovate or broadly lanceolate, with toothed margins.

Leaf Petioles and Placement

Lower leaves have short petioles, while upper leaves lie closely appressed against the stem.

Leaf Surface and Coloration

The upper surface of leaf blades is often pubescent, and ranges in color from yellowish-green to solid green; leaves may sometimes develop purple spotting or a purple tinge along the margin.

Bract Development

The uppermost leaves develop into bracts that sit below the plant's blooms.

Flowerhead Size

Flowerheads are roughly 1.5 inches (4 cm) wide.

Flowerhead Shape and Maturation

They start out cone-shaped and flatten as they mature, with central florets opening first.

Floret Calyx Structure

Each floret has a tubular, hairy calyx with five pointed lobes.

Floret Appearance and Structure

Florets are white or pink, curved, and around 1 inch (2.5 cm) long, with a narrow tube, narrow upper lip, and a slightly wider lower lip marked with purple speckles.

Flowering Period

Flowering typically occurs in late spring and early summer.

Reproduction Methods

The plant produces seed in the form of nutlets that can be dispersed by wind, and it can also spread vegetatively via growth from rhizomes.

Native Range

Monarda bradburiana is native to the central and southeastern United States, where it occurs in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

Habitat Types

Its typical habitat includes thickets, woodland edges, grassland and roadsides.

Nectar and Nectar-Feeding Visitors

The flowers of Monarda bradburiana produce large amounts of nectar, and attract bumblebees, other long-tongued bees, butterflies, hummingbird moths, beeflies and hummingbirds.

Pollen Harvesting Visitors

Halictid bees, which cannot reach the plant's nectar, harvest pollen from it instead.

Specialist Pollinator

A specialist pollinator of this species is Doufourea monardae, a small black bee.

Lepidopteran Host Use

Monarda bradburiana is a food plant for caterpillars of the hermit sphinx, the gray marvel, the orange mint moth and the raspberry pyrausta moth.

Mammalian Herbivory

Herbivorous mammals generally avoid eating the plant's foliage, likely because it produces an oregano-like odor.