E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Monarda fistulosa var. menthaefolia (Grah.) Fern.
wild bergamot
Lamiaceae (Mint family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants
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E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Monarda fistulosa var. menthaefolia
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Species Information

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General:
Perennial herb from a creeping rhizome; finely-hairy throughout, rarely with longer spreading hairs; stems erect, simple or branched above, 30-70 cm tall, 4-angled.
Leaves:
All stem leaves; opposite, lanceolate to broadly egg-shaped, 2.5-8 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, more or less sharply toothed; stalks to 1.5 cm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a single, large, terminal, head-like cluster, closely surrounded by leaf-like bracts; corollas tubular, 2.5-3.5 cm long, purple, finely-hairy, strongly 2-lipped, the upper lip narrow and arc-shaped and bearded at tip, the lower lip spreading and 3-lobed; calyces tubular, 7-11 mm long, the teeth only 1 mm long, the opening white-hairy within and sometimes also outside, 15-veined.
Fruits:
Nutlets, 4 clustered together, oblong, smooth.
Notes:
Two sympatric varieties occur in BC:

1. Leaves with stalks to 1.5 cm long; stems usually branched above................ var. mollis (L.) Benth.

1. Leaves with stalks less than 0.5 cm long; stems usually simple.................. var. menthaefolia (Grah.) Fern.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Mesic to dry shrublands, meadows and open forests in the steppe and lower montane zones; frequent in BC east of the Coast-Cascade Mountains; N to NT, E to PQ, and S to GA and MX.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Monarda fistulosa var. menthaefolia

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 550 656 762
Slope Gradient (%) 30 37 45
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
180 209 240
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
1 2 3
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
D
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
2
Modal BEC Zone Class
IDF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: IDF(1), PP(1)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

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General References