Lemon mint
Encyclopedia
Monarda citriodora is a species of flowering plant
in the mint family, Lamiaceae
, that is native much of the United States
and Mexico
. Common names include Lemon Beebalm, Lemon Mint (this may also apply to Melissa officinalis) and Purple Horsemint. When crushed, the leaves emit an odor reminiscent of lemon
s. This odor is sometimes described as more resembling oregano
, especially late in the season. Its purple flowers are highly attractive to butterflies
, bees and hummingbirds.
, its seeds can germinate and grow the following year.
to Florida, and from Nebraska to Texas. It prefers soils with a high percentage of clay, such as the vertisols and mollisols
typical of tallgrass prairie
s, where it sometimes forms impressive blankets of summer flowers.
and chicken
. Lemon Beebalm is an ingredient in many dessert recipes too, used for flavoring in cakes, cheesecakes, sauces, and pies.
But most recipes bearing the name "lemon mint" actually used spearmint
and the juice or other components of the actual fruit of the lemon plant rather than this plant. However, Lemon Beebalm is occasionally used in herbal teas.
, which makes it useful as an insect repellent. It has been used to deter flea
s and mite
s.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the mint family, Lamiaceae
Lamiaceae
The mints, taxonomically known as Lamiaceae or Labiatae, are a family of flowering plants. They have traditionally been considered closely related to Verbenaceae, but in the 1990s, phylogenetic studies suggested that many genera classified in Verbenaceae belong instead in Lamiaceae...
, that is native much of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Common names include Lemon Beebalm, Lemon Mint (this may also apply to Melissa officinalis) and Purple Horsemint. When crushed, the leaves emit an odor reminiscent of lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
s. This odor is sometimes described as more resembling oregano
Oregano
Oregano – scientifically named Origanum vulgare by Carolus Linnaeus – is a common species of Origanum, a genus of the mint family . It is native to warm-temperate western and southwestern Eurasia and the Mediterranean region.Oregano is a perennial herb, growing from 20–80 cm tall,...
, especially late in the season. Its purple flowers are highly attractive to butterflies
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
, bees and hummingbirds.
Description
Lemon Beebalm can tolerate dry soil, and requires little water and direct sun light. Several stems grow from the base and are lined with pairs of lance-shaped leaves. It grows quickly during spring, reaching up to 3 feet high, and blooms it's white, purple and pink colored flowers from May through July, continuing to bloom even later in the year if given water. The plant dies with the first frost, and although lemon beebalm is an annualAnnual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
, its seeds can germinate and grow the following year.
Habitat and range
This widespread plant grows in prairies, roadsides and other sunny habitats from CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Florida, and from Nebraska to Texas. It prefers soils with a high percentage of clay, such as the vertisols and mollisols
Mollisols
Mollisols are a soil order in USDA soil taxonomy. Mollisols form in semi-arid to semi-humid areas, typically under a grassland cover. They are most commonly found in the mid-latitudes, namely in North America, mostly east of the Rocky Mountains, in South America in Argentina and Brazil, and in...
typical of tallgrass prairie
Tallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America, with fire as its primary periodic disturbance. In the past, tallgrass prairies covered a large portion of the American Midwest, just east of the Great Plains, and portions of the Canadian Prairies. They flourished in areas with...
s, where it sometimes forms impressive blankets of summer flowers.
Culinary
Some people use lemon beebalm as an addition to salads and teas. It's also used sometimes in wines and liqueurs. It can give a good flavor to certain seafood and meat dishes too, such as crabCrab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
and chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
. Lemon Beebalm is an ingredient in many dessert recipes too, used for flavoring in cakes, cheesecakes, sauces, and pies.
But most recipes bearing the name "lemon mint" actually used spearmint
Spearmint
Mentha spicata syn. M. cordifolia is a species of mint native to much of Europe and southwest Asia, though its exact natural range is uncertain due to extensive early cultivation. It grows in wet soils...
and the juice or other components of the actual fruit of the lemon plant rather than this plant. However, Lemon Beebalm is occasionally used in herbal teas.
Insect repellent
The essential oil of Lemon Beebalm contains citronellolCitronellol
Citronellol, or dihydrogeraniol, is a natural acyclic monoterpenoid. Both enantiomers occur in nature. -Citronellol, which is found in citronella oils, including Cymbopogon nardus , is the more common isomer. -Citronellol is found in the oils of rose and Pelargonium geraniums.Citronellol is...
, which makes it useful as an insect repellent. It has been used to deter flea
Flea
Flea is the common name for insects of the order Siphonaptera which are wingless insects with mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood...
s and mite
Mite
Mites, along with ticks, are small arthropods belonging to the subclass Acari and the class Arachnida. The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology.-Diversity and systematics:...
s.