Monarda fistulosa L.
wild bergamot
Lamiaceae (Mint family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
wild bergamot
Lamiaceae (Mint family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC
Species Information
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.
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Red
Blooming Period:
Summer
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Summer to Fall
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Monarda fistulosa
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)
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 |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
936 | 525 | 1570 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
34 | 0 | 78 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
181 | 78 | 280 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
2 | 0 | 5 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
41 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
IDF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BG(2), BWBS(4), ICH(4), IDF(19), MS(5), PP(5), SBS(2) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and 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.Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Monarda fistulosa var. brevis Fosberg & Artz