NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details
Monarda fistulosa
Wild Bergamot
Scientific Name: |
Monarda fistulosa |
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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. |
Bettina Darveaux |
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Bettina Darveaux |
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Bettina Darveaux |
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Bettina Darveaux |
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Bettina Darveaux |
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Links: |
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