Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata)

I collected seeds of this strange flower and planted them in my garden. This summer I have a very large bed of it and its gorgeous. Such a strange looking flower, but quite pretty.

Being a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae), it has many uses for its aroma therapy and medicinal purposes. Native Americans used a  leaf tea for colds, fevers, stomach cramps and coughs. Spotted Beebalm is a highly aromatic herb which has the scent of thyme. It has an antiseptic source, thymol, which has been used for many years in cough medicine.

Bees really love this unusual flower and other insects as well.  It is a good nectar plant to attract butterflies.This is a great wildflower for your garden. Very drought tolerant and thrives in poor, sandy soils.

Other common names are Horsemint, Pink Horsemint, Spotted Wild-Bergamont and Painted Mint. It blooms from May through August and leaves many seeds behind to insure its comeback. This plants genus was named from its founder, Spanish botanist, Nicholas Monardes (1493-1588) who traveled North America to study medicinal plants. We have several varieties of mints and beebalms in Texas.

"For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs."

Deuteronomy 11:10