Basil Balm or White Bergamot,
Monarda clinopodia
Lamiaceae or Mint Family
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Upright plant, about 3-4 feet tall. Leaves
in pairs opposite each other, roughly oval, longer than wide, pointed and
toothed. Flowers from dense hemispherical heads above white-streaked bracts (leaf-like structures below the flowers).
When flowers are still in bud, the whitened bracts resemble a flower (below, left). Flowers themselves are long narrow tubes split into
two lips at end, white, dotted with pink. Stamens follow the upper lip and protrude
at top. Very showy.
A charming native of shaded woolands. In Wildwood, occasional in the deep woods of the eastern slope. The showy white flower heads are distinctive. Other
members of the genus Monarda found in the Park have similar flowers heads
of other colors: deep purple in
purple bergamot, lilac in wild
bergamot, and red in bee balm. They also prefer more open areas. |
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