_________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Known by a number of common names, lemon beebalm is a 1-2 ft., aromatic annual with unusual, tuft-like, lavender to pink, whorled flower heads. Each whorl in the elongated spike is subtended by whitish or lavender, leaf-like bracts. Several stems grow from the base and are lined with pairs of lance-shaped leaves.
Bergamo Beebalm
Monarda Citriodora 'Bergamo'
Linnaeus named thegenusMonarda in honor of a 16th century Spanish physician and botanist, Nicolas Bautista Monardes (1493-1588). Monardes studied medicinal plants brought back to Spain from the New World.
Horsemint has a distinctive citrus or lemony scent when the leaves are rubbed or crushed. It is very easy to grow and often forms large colonies. Bees and butterflies are attracted to this plant
Known by several names, Monarda citriodora, can be called lemon beebalm, purple horsemint, lemon mint, plains horsemint, lemon horsemint, horsemint, and purple lemon mint.
Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas and the Southwest (1991) Miller, G. O.
Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. and; A. Wasowski
Texas Wildflowers: A Field Guide (1984) Loughmiller, C. and; L. Loughmiller
Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife (1999) Damude, N. and; K.C. Bender
Useful wild plants of Texas, the Southeastern and Southwestern United States, the Southern Plains, and Northern Mexico (Volume 1: Abronia-Arundo) (1995) S. Cheatham; M. C. Johnston; L. Marshall
Wildflowers of Texas (2003) Ajilvsgi, Geyata.
Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country (1989) Enquist, M.
Spiders associated with lemon horsemint in east central Texas, Martin Nyffeler, et al.
Evaluation of the Antifungal Activity of the Essential Oils of Monarda citriodora, Bishop.
I consider pineapple sage an annual in my eco-region. It is a perennial in zones 8 and greater. Pineapple sage can usually be found in the herb section of your local nursery in the spring. Many people grow it for the lovely pineapple scented leaves and use the leaves for tea. The best luck I have had with both salvias is planting them along the edge of a retaining wall. The raised nature of a retaining wall allows for good drainage. Lovely Lavender
Perennial Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha)
I have the 3-5' Mexican salvia and the more diminutive Salvia leucantha 'Santa Barbara'. If you have ever grown Russian sage you will find this sub-shrub comparable excepting the shorter height of the plant makes it less likely to topple in winds and requires no support. We usually get temperatures below 25 degrees so I considered it a perennial in zone 7b-8a.
Linnaeus named thegenusMonarda in honor of a 16th century Spanish physician and botanist, Nicolas Bautista Monardes (1493-1588). Monardes studied medicinal plants brought back to Spain from the New World.
Monardacitriodora Cerv. ex Lag. lemon beebalm
Monarda fistulosa 'Peter's Purple'
"Monarda fistulosa 'Peter's Purple' is a hybrid of Monarda fistulosa 'Claire Grace' and a Mexican species, Monarda barlettii, that occurred in the garden of Texas native plant expert, Peter Loos. It is a clump-forming herbaceous perennial with aromatic, lance-shaped leaves. It has terminal whorls of two-lipped, 2 1/2 in." MBG
