Bee Balm (Monarda punctata) N

Horsemint is an upright herbaceous perennial with light green leaves on tall, sprawling stems. In this native range it grows in clumps between 2 to 4 feet wide. These clumps produce flowers on leafy stems 1-3 feet high all summer. Horsemint’s pink-, purple-, or crème-colored bracts are often mistaken for flowers. Some bracts are spotted, offering this species another common name, “spotted horsemint.” The true flowers are small and rest just above the colorful bracts. The fruits that follow are not showy, but it does reseed freely.