Spotted beebalm
Spotted beebalm, aka dotted horsemint, is aromatic.
By LYNN ARTZ, SANDY TEDDER and DAVID RODDENBERRY
Spotted beebalm (Monarda punctata) is a dazzling wildflower that brightens roadsides, meadows, and gardens in late summer and early fall. Each stem has 2 or more tiers of true flowers atop large colorful bracts. Bracts, prominent on poinsettias, are modified leaves. The small yellow tubular flowers have maroon spots and form stem-ringing clusters. Each cluster rests on a whorl of showy pink bracts. Spotted beebalm grows 2-4 feet tall in full sun and dry sandy soil in much of Florida. Also called dotted horsemint, this member of the mint family is quite aromatic. A pollinator magnet, spotted beebalm attracts bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds. It supports several specialized bees and is a larval host plant for several moths. Spotted beebalm is blooming now in the northwest garden at Sopchoppy Depot Park