Horse-mint

Monarda punctata, the spotted bee balm or horsemint, is an aromatic, short-lived perennial or biennial herb of the mint family (Lamiaceae), widespread across the eastern and central United States, with disjunct populations into Mexico. It typically grows 30–90 cm tall, with erect, square, finely pubescent stems that branch in the upper portion. The opposite leaves are lanceolate to narrowly oblong, 3–8 cm long, with serrate margins, short petioles, and a strong thyme-like fragrance when bruised, owing to a high content of thymol and carvacrol in the foliage. The inflorescence is striking and distinctive: several interrupted, dense whorls of flowers are arranged along the upper stem, each whorl subtended by showy, leaf-like bracts that are flushed pink, purple, or whitish. The tubular two-lipped corollas, 15–25 mm long, are pale yellow and conspicuously dotted with purple spots. Flowering occurs from mid-summer to early autumn, and the species favours sandy soils in old fields, prairie remnants, dunes and open woodlands.