Bee balm is an inhabitant of moist areas in woodlands and beside streams, ponds and lakes where it is often seen growing close to cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis).
The rich, scarlet red of both blossoms, which last throughout much of the summer, attract ruby-throated hummingbirds, the only hummingbirds found within our Blue Ridge region. Although bees are attracted to the bee balm, the long floral tubes—which make it hard for insects to reach the nectar—are more suited to the narrow bills of the hummingbirds.
While studying the flower, you may notice its stem is different from those of most other plants. Run your fingers along it and you will find that the stem is not round, but square, a characteristic it shares with other members of the mint family.
As part of a group negotiating a treaty in 1743 with the Oswego Indians of New York, naturalist John Bratram learned that the Native Americans made a tea from bee balm that helped alleviate the discomforts of fevers or chills. The drink became popular with colonists who substituted it for imported tea, earning the plant another title, Oswego tea. Other common names include Indian plume, mountain mint and fragrant balm.
Flower Fast Facts
FLOWER: The individual bright red flowers are about 1.5 inches long and have an ascending upper lip with a broader, drooping lower lip. Although most books typically say the flowers grow in a dense terminal cluster, Roger Tory Peterson refers to it as a “ragged scarlet pompon of tubular flowers.”
LEAVES AND STEM: The 3- to 6-inch dark green leaves are quite toothed and grow in pairs along the length of the 2- to 4-foot stem.
AVERAGE BLOOM SEASON: July to September
About This Series
“Mountain Wildflowers” features a wildflower from the Blue Ridge region each month from March to October. Leonard M. Adkins has written for Blue Ridge Country for more than two decades and is the author of 20 books about travel, hiking and nature. His Wildflowers of the Appalachian Trail, which received the prestigious National Outdoor Book Award, provides the photographs and some of the information he writes about in each “Mountain Wildflowers.” It and his other works may be obtained through his website.
