Wild bergamot

Expand all

More names for this plant

The Dakota and Anishinaabe were among the earliest people to name Minnesota’s plants and animals, as well as to understand them in relation to Minnesota’s climate and seasons. Those original names are still in use, and several are included on the Season Watch website. However, complete translations were not available.

Latin (or scientific name): Monarda fistulosa

The scientific community has a convention of assigning agreed-upon Latin names to every kind of organism. Using scientific names helps people communicate confidently about the same organism and organize lifeforms based on how closely related they are.

More common names: Beebalm, Mintleaf beebalm, horsemint, Oswego-tea

Page contents

About wild bergamot

Visual guide to phenology

Graphs and historical data

More resources

Wild bergamot with purple flowers in a grassland setting.
Wild bergamot in a grassland setting.
June 30, 2021, Lincoln County, Minnesota
Photo © abahe, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
iNaturalist observation​

About wild bergamot

  • Wild bergamot is an herbaceous perennial plant that produces clusters of pink or purple flowers.
  • Like many plants in the mint family, the stem of wild bergamot is square-shaped. If you roll the stem between your fingers, you will feel the ridges of the square.
  • Wild bergamot is a key food source for pollinators, including native bees.
  • Wild bergamot is an important plant for prairie restoration.
  • Fun fact: The leaves are aromatic and are cultivated to make mint tea.

Visual guide to phenology

Watch for the appearance of leaves, flowers, and fruits. Take notice of when flowers open and fruits ripen.

Expand all

Note to observers

This page explains general clues to watch for when observing wild bergamot phenology. However, this page does not explain how to identify this plant or collect data in a standardized way.

Wild bergmot stem and seed heads against a snowy background. These parts of the plant are dead and are dark brown in color.
New green leaves of the wild bergamot plant. Leaves are triangular in shape with toothed edges and they grow in pairs, one on either side of the stem.
Wild bergamot plants in this photo have stiff, upright stems and green foliage. There are flower buds but no open flowers.
A close-up photo showing flower before it opens. The structures are bright green and no purple petals are visible yet.
Photo of a wild bergamot bloom. An array of pale purple petals are crowded together in a cluster.
A cross-section of a cluster of flowers. Green tube-like structures are calyxes that hold the indivudal flowers.
Two spent flowers of the wild bergamot plant. Many of the petals have fallen off to expose a bare, green dome. A few petals have dried and turned brown, while some fresh purple petals still remain.
Dome-shaped seed head of the wild bergamot, gradually changing from green to brown.
Wild bergamot plant still has green leaves, but the seed heads are brown.
Wild bergamot plant in an autumnal setting. All aboveground parts of the plant are dead, dry, and dark brown.

Graphs and historical data

Note: The Orientation Center provides a map, as well as information on reading graphs; interpreting summary statistics, who collected the data and how; and how to download datasets for independent exploration.


Hennepin County

Flowering

  • Earliest: June 21 (occurred in 1991)
  • Average: July 14
  • Latest: July 24 and 25 (occurred in 1960 and 1982)
Scatterplot showing wild bergamot phenology observations in Hennepin County, Minnesota

Download this dataset (.csv file)

Washington County

First flower

  • Earliest: June 28 (occurred in 2007)
  • Average: July 11
  • Latest: July 29 (occurred in 1997)
Scatterplot showing wild bergamot phenology observations in Washington County, Minnesota

Download this dataset (.csv file)

Last flower

  • Earliest: July 24 (occurred in 2003)
  • Average: August 13
  • Latest: August 28 (occurred in 2008)
Scatterplot showing wild bergamot phenology observations in Washington County, Minnesota

Download this dataset (.csv file)

More resources

Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) in the Minnesota Biodersity Atlas

Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) in Nature's Notebook

 

Expand all

Keep exploring Season Watch

Gray circular icon with illustrations of a magnifying lens, a frog, and a conifer twig.

Explore page
State of Minnesota

Minnesota places
Circular icon with an illustrated flower, sun, falling leaf, and snowflake to represent the four seasons

Times of year

Co-author: Audrey Negro, Minnesota Master Naturalist