stxflora

Monarda citriodora

Family: Lamiaceae

Plant Description: Annual to 35 cm high with mostly oblong to lanceolate leaves 2-5 cm long. Flowers in dense axillary whorls or heads, the corolla about 2 cm long, white, bilateral usually dotted purple. Leaves opposite. Lemon odor when leaves are bruised.

Plant Trivia:

Field Identification:

Occurrence: Common on clay and sandy soils. in prairies, openings, and waste places and along roads.

Bloom Period:

Plant Use:

Key to the species of Monarda:

1. Flower bracts usually 8, tapered to a point……………………………………………..2

Flower bracts more than 20, bristle-tipped……………………………………………..4

2. Leaves 2-5 mm wide………………………………………………………………M. fruticulosa

Leaves partly or all broader………………………………………………………………………..3

3. Corolla white……………………………………………………………………………..M. maritima

Corolla greenish yellow…………………………………………………………..M. punctata

4. Flower bracts and calyxes purple………………………………...M. clinopodioides

Flower bracts and calyxes greenish or whitish sometimes tinged with purple……………………………………………………………M. citriodora