NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

Monarda fistulosa

Wild Bergamot

Scientific Name:	Monarda fistulosa
Genus:	Monarda
Species Epithet:	fistulosa
Common Name:	Wild Bergamot
Plant Type	Herb/Wildflower
Life Cycle	Perennial
Plant Family	Lamiaceae (Mint Family)
Native/Alien:	NC Native
Invasive Status:	^(*Key)
Size:	1-3 ft.
Bloom Color(s):	Pink
Light:	Sun - 6 or more hours of sun per day, Part Shade - 2 to 6 hours of sun per day
Soil Moisture:	Dry, Moist
Bloom Time:	June, July, August, September
Growing Area:	Mountains, Piedmont, Coastal Plain
Habitat Description:	The nominate variety of the species favors fairly high pH soil, in dry to mesic and mostly sunny to only partly shaded habitats. It is most common in meadows, wooded borders, old fields, and openings in dry or upland forests. However, two of the varieties grow inside moist or rich forests. Frequent to common in the mountains; infrequent to locally fairly common in the northern and central Piedmont, but very rare in the southern counties. Seems to have declined considerably in NC over the past 50 years, at least in the Piedmont; as this species prefers meadow habitats, many such habitats have been lost to development, abandonment, and other factors.
Leaf Arrangement:	Opposite
Leaf Retention:	Deciduous
Leaf Type:	Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like
Leaf Form:	Simple
Life Cycle:	Perennial
Wildlife Value:	Highest Wildlife Value
Landscape Value:	Highly Recommended and Available
State Rank:	S4: Apparently secure ^(*Key)
Global Rank:	G5 - Secure ^(*Key)
Notes:	Weakley (2018) lists three varieties of the species in NC: the nominate one -- M. fistulosa var. fistulosa, var. mollis, and var. rubra. Weakley's (2018) range maps indicate that the first two are "common" in the mountains and the Piedmont, with the latter occurring on "Moist wooded slopes" as opposed to meadows and edges for the former. He indicates that var. rubra, also of "Moist slope forests" but "rare" and only in the mountains, is a problematic taxon, confusable with M. media.
Flower buds emerging in early June. Flowers are densely aggregated into head-like clusters Garden in Orange County, NC Bettina Darveaux
Close-up of flower head being visited ba a Black Swallowtail butterfly Garden in Orange County, NC Bettina Darveaux
Plant grouping Garden in Orange County, NC Bettina Darveaux
Opposite leaves along the square stems; lavender to bright pink flowers. Blue Ridge Parkway, Jackson Co., NC Bettina Darveaux
Two-lipped, tubular flowers in terminal heads. Each flower head is subtended by a whorl of pinkish, leafy bracts. Blue Ridge Parkway, Jackson Co., NC Bettina Darveaux
Links:	USDA PLANTS Database Record