Bee Balm, Wild Bergamont

Wild bergamot, also known as bee balm (Monarda fistulosa), is a wildflower in the mint family (Lamiaceae). It is native to the prairies, plains, meadows, and open woods of much of North America. It is a perennial with a showy display of lavender-pink, tubular flowers that are attractive to bees and butterflies. The flowers appear in dense, globular, solitary, terminal heads atop square stems, and are subtended by lance-shaped, hairy leaves. Wild bergamot spreads easily by seed or rhizomes and can grow to be 30-36 inches tall and 18-24 inches wide.