Lemon Mint Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

Monarda citriodora Cerv. ex Lag.
Russell County, Kansas
Annual
Height: 12-32 inches
Family: Lamiaceae - Mint Family
Flowering Period: May, June, July
Also Called: Lemon beebalm.
Stems: Erect, 4-sided, usually branched, pubescent.
Leaves: Opposite, simple, stalked, lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, 1 to 2.5 inches long, .25 to .75 inch wide, glabrous or sparsely hairy; margins toothed or infrequently nearly entire; tips pointed.
Inflorescences: Interrupted spikes of 1-6 densely flowered clusters; bracts conspicuous, leaf-like, densely grayish pubescent, upper surfaces whitish to pinkish purple; tips spiny-bristled.
Flowers: Calyces 5-lobed, hairy, tips bristle-like; corollas 2-lipped, resembling open snake mouths, to 1 inch long, white to lavender; upper lip arched, lower lip often purple spotted.
Fruits: 4 nutlets, smooth, yellowish brown, each 1-seeded.
Habitat: Rocky or sandy prairies, pastures, roadsides, and hillsides.
Distribution: Throughout Kansas.
Comments: The genus name honors Nicholas Monardes, a Spanish physician from Seville who wrote about New World medicinal plants in the 1500s. The specific epithet comes from Latin "citrus" and "odoro" to "give a fragrant smell".

Copyright Â© 1997-2011 Mike Haddock