3. Monarda clinopodia L. (basil beebalm, beebalm)
Pl. 437 e, f;
Map 1969
Plants
perennial. Stems 30–120 cm long, unbranched or branched, glabrous or sparsely
pubescent with fine, spreading or downward-curled hairs, more densely so around
the nodes. Leaves (all but the uppermost) with petioles 10–40 mm long, the
median leaves more or less the largest. Leaf blades 3–13 cm long, ovate to
ovate-triangular, those of the uppermost leaves sometimes lanceolate to
oblong-lanceolate, broadly angled to more commonly rounded to nearly truncate
at the base, tapered to a sharply pointed tip, the margins with relatively
closely spaced, usually fine teeth, also hairy, the upper surface sparsely
pubescent with short, fine, loosely appressed hairs or nearly glabrous, the
undersurface sparsely pubescent with longer, spreading to somewhat curved
hairs, especially along the veins. Inflorescences consisting of only 1 terminal
flower cluster, the bracts 8–25 mm long, lanceolate, the margins entire but
hairy, the surfaces glabrous to densely pubescent with short, curved hairs,
green, but often pale, whitened, or pinkish-tinged toward the base or along the
midvein. Innermost bracts 5–11 mm long, mostly linear, the margins hairy. Calyces
6–10 mm long, the outer surface glabrous or sparsely to moderately pubescent
with minute, gland-tipped hairs, glabrous or more commonly sparsely to
moderately bristly-hairy in the throat, the lobes 1–2 mm long, long-tapered
above a very short, triangular base, but lacking a bristlelike extension.
Corollas 14–30 mm long, white to pale cream-colored, rarely pale
pinkish-tinged, often with purple spots or mottling on the lower lip, glabrous
or more commonly sparsely to moderately pubescent with minute, curled
(occasionally cobwebby), nonglandular hairs on the outer surface, sometimes
mainly on the upper lip, also usually with inconspicuous sessile glands,
glabrous or sparsely hairy in the throat, the lips somewhat shorter than the
tube, the upper lip straight or nearly so, the lower lip more or less entire,
abruptly tapered to a short, terminal, toothlike extension. Stamens
conspicuously exserted from the corolla. Nutlets 1.2–1.5 mm long, yellowish
brown to brown. June–July.
Uncommon, known
thus far only from two collections from Butler County (eastern U.S. west to
Missouri and Alabama). Bottomland forests.
The flowers of M.
clinopodia are fragrant. It is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental.