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Monarda fistulosa
| Common name: |
Wild Bergamot |
Family: |
Labiatae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
43, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
|
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
North-eastern N. America - Quebec to Minnesota, south to Texas. |
| Habitat: |
Dry thickets, clearings and woodland edges[43]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
3 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 2 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| M. bradburiana[B,G,P]
M. rigida[B,P]
M. villosa[B,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Bergamot, Wild [S], Eastern Beebalm [P,B], Horsemint [E], Oswego-tea [B], Wild Bergamot [S,H,L], Wildbergamot Beebalm [P], Yaguruma-Kakko [E], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
fistulosa = tubular
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Lamiales. Renamed to Lamiaceae -- Mint family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Us
Us(Amerindian) Us(Appalachia) Us(Blackfoot) Us(Colonial) Us(Flathead)
|
| Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds | From USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia
, DEFRA Injurious Weeds | | Listed as noxious/invasive for: USA Invasive. |
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 1.5m by 0.5m . It is hardy to zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower in July, and the seeds ripen in August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.
The plant is self-fertile.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
We rate it 3/5 for edibility and
2/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It cannot grow in the shade.
It requires dry or moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge.Edible Uses
Condiment
Flowers Leaves Tea.
Leaves - raw or cooked. The entire plant above ground level can be used
as a potherb[183], though it is rather aromatic. It is also used as a
flavouring in salads and cooked foods[46, 105, 183, 213].
The flowers make an attractive edible garnish in salads[183].
The fresh or dried leaves are brewed into a refreshing aromatic tea[183,
257].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Carminative
Diaphoretic Diuretic Pectoral Stimulant.
Wild bergamot was often employed medicinally by several native North
American Indian tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints, but
especially those connected with the digestive system[257]. It is still
sometimes used in modern herbalism.
The leaves and flowering stems are carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic and
stimulant[4, 222]. An infusion is used internally in the treatment of colds,
catarrh, headaches, gastric disorders, aching kidneys, to reduce low fevers
and soothe sore throats[213, 238, 257]. Externally, it is applied as a
poultice to skin eruptions, cuts etc and as a wash for sore eyes[238, 257].
The leaves can be harvested before the plant flowers, or they can be
harvested with the flowering stems. They can be used fresh or dried[238].
The plant contains the essential oil 'bergamot oil' which can be inhaled to
treat bronchial complaints[213].
The leaves also contain 'thymol', an essential oil that can be used to expel
gas from the digestive tract[213].
Other Uses
Repellent.
The leaves have been used as an insect repellent[257].
Cultivation details
Easily grown in ordinary garden soil so long as it is not too dry[1,
200]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Requires a moist soil and a sunny
position[1, 200], though it also succeeds in light shade[187]. This species
thrives when grown in a dry soil[233, 238, K]. It prefers alkaline soil
conditions[238].
Plants are hardy to at least -25° c[187].
A very ornamental plant, there are several named varieties[1, 233]. A good
bee plant[200].
Subject to mildew in dry summers[200].
Propagation
Seed - sow mid to late spring in a cold frame. Germination usually
takes place within 10 - 40 days at 20° c. When large enough to handle, prick
the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their
permanent positions in early summer.
The seed can also be sown in situ in late summer in areas where the winters
are not too severe and will produce larger plants.
Cuttings of soft basal shoots in spring. Harvest the shoots with plenty of
underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up
into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or
greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring or autumn. Very easy, large divisions can be planted out
direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot
up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame
until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or
early summer.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [W] Photos
(common names, range) from the University of Washington Medicinal Herb Garden.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [PHARM] Phytochemical Data
(common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Monarda bradburiana (a possible synonym).
References for monarda fistulosa (a possible synonym).
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
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