Wild bergamot is an herbaceous perennial in the mint family (Lamiaceae) widespread across North America. It occurs in dryish soils on prairies, dry rocky woods and glade margins, unplanted fields and along roads and railroads. The species epithet is Latin for “hollow” and was not explained when it was given. It likely refers to the hollow stems. Wild bergamot is a clumping plant that typically grows 2 to 4 feet tall. It performs best in full sun and moderately moist soils. Although tolerant of occasional drought, water-stressed plants are more susceptible to mildew. Three varieties of wild bergamot occur in North Carolina. They are distinguished by flower color and technical differences in the leaf pubescence. Native bees nest in the dead, hollow stems, so gardeners are encouraged to cut back dead stems to 12 to 24 inches and allow them to remain standing until they disintegrate on their own. Read more about best practices for stem-nesting bees in this NC Extension publication . Wild bergamot provides color and contrast for the herb garden, wild garden, native plant garden, meadow, rain garden or naturalized area. It may be used in the perennial border, but it is not as colorful as the similar-in-appearance beebalm ( Monarda didyma ) and its many cultivars. This plant is tolerant of black walnut. Fire Risk: This plant has a medium flammability rating. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Powdery mildew can be a problem with all beebalm species, especially in crowded conditions with poor airflow, but this particular species shows resistance. Prune stems to increase air flow. Severe cases may require fungicidal sprays. In addition, if the soil is allowed to dry out, the stressed plants become increasingly susceptible to disease. Rust can also be a problem. More information on Monarda .
Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗Reconciled to full toolbox: matched by slug to slug 'monarda-fistulosa'. Identity (id/common/scientific name) preserved from the original 87-plant Hunnicutt set; attribute data refreshed from the 48-attribute toolbox scrape.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Oblong
Leaf margin
Dentate
Leaf value
Edible; Fragrant
Leaf size
3-6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The toothed, opposite, aromatic, oblong, grayish-green leaves (to 4") of the wild bergamot may be used in teas.
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender
Flower value
Fragrant; Good Cut
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower detail
Wild bergamot features two-lipped, tubular flowers that appear in dense, globular, solitary, terminal heads atop square stems. Each flower head is subtended by (rests upon) a whorl of showy, pinkish, leafy bracts. The flowers are attractive to bees and butterflies. This plant blooms from June to September.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit detail
Displays from August to October.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Canada to North East Mexico
Wildlife value
Attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Ruby-throated hummingbirds and butterflies nectar from the blooms. Members of the genus Monarda support the following specialized bees: Dufourea monardae, Perdita (Perdita) gerhardi, and Protandrena abdominalis. Dead stems are used by stem-nesting bees.