Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

LEMON MINT

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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".

Lemon mint