Botany Photo of the Day will have brief written entries on weekends, holidays and my vacations from April through September. – Daniel
Thank you to MagnetFL@Flickr for sharing today's photograph with us (original | BPotD Flickr Group Pool). Much appreciated!
Spotted beebalm or spotted horsemint is native to the eastern United States. The USDA PLANTS database reports it being present in California, but the Jepson Flora Project states that the record of the plant occurring in California was based on an erroneous report.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has an excellent factsheet (though it also cites this species as growing in California). The Plants for a Future database details the traditional medicinal uses.
Monarda punctata - Z6 - RHS Index of Garden Plants, Griffiths
Monarda punctata - Z4-9 - A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, Brickell, Cole, Zuk
Monarda mo-nar-da. After Nicholas Monardes [1493-1588], Spanish botanist and physician.
The intense purple of that Monarda, offset by the spotted white upper petals is absolute eye candy. In searching other databases, I have not come across any pix that show such stunning colors. I live in eastern Pennsylvania, where I grow ordinary Monardas easily. Where could this colorful variety be obtained?
what an outrageously beautiful flower! great photo
Carol, looking at the PLANTS database this species is listed as endangered in Pennsylvania, which usually means it's not available to be grown (at least not without a permit from Fish & Wildlife), in part to protect the remaining wild populations from genetic swamping by cultivars, and to prevent collecting from wild for trade.
Oooh!!! How stunning!!!
The typical form of Monarda is fantastic, but this is just phenomenal!