Wild Bergamot
Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), also known as a Bee Balm or Oswego Tea, is native to much of North America, from northern Mexico to southern Canada. It is a perennial herb in the Mint family that can grow up to four feet tall, characterized by leaves up to four inches in length and clusters of pink to purple flowers of one to three inches in diameter. Wild Bergamot is an important native species for pollinators in the United States, and is one of the most preferred species for bees, especially bumblebees (Rowe, Gibson, Landis, Gibbs, & Isaacs, 2018).
Historical Use
The plant was used by many Native American tribes for a number of purposes. There are first-hand accounts that members of the Hidatsa would crush dried leaves and flowers of Wild Bergamot to perfume their clothes (Wilson & Scullin, 2014). There are also a few reports that Wild Bergamot was used to treat wounds and dental infections, as well as gastrointestinal complaints.
Fore more information, see the John R. Martin Rare Book Room.
Current Use
One of the most common contemporary uses of Monarda fistulosa is as an ornamental plant, though it is also being used widely in prairie restoration and to restore forage for wild bees (Rowe et al., 2018). However, there are a number of current investigations into useful chemicals derived from Wild Bergamot. One of the most promising is carvacrol, which has been shown to have antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer properties (Marchese et al., 2018; Sharifi-Rad et al., 2018). Carvacrol has been investigated for treating E. coli and Salmonella infections (Sharifi-Rad et al., 2018). In addition, essential oils from Monarda fistulosa have displayed some value as a mosquito repellent (Tabanca et al., 2013).
Latest Research
- Good to the Last Drop? Nectar Depletion by Insect Pollinators Varies Among Plant Species and Through Time
by Skylar H Gillies on July 16, 2026 at 10:00 amMost insect pollinator species use floral resources exploited by many conspecifics and heterospecifics. In systems where floral resources limit pollinator populations and give rise to competition, understanding whether competition varies across the growing season is a fundamental question in explaining how species co-exist and how communities are structured. Recent work on nectar depletion rates in plant-pollinator communities has demonstrated the value of measuring nectar depletion rates as a…
- Effect of peak bloom timing on the transmission of the bumble bee pathogen Crithidia bombi (Trypanosomatida: Trypanosomatidae)by Mario S Pinilla-Gallego on July 3, 2026 at 10:00 am
Pathogen spread is a major driver of wild and managed bee decline, with shared floral resources often serving as transmission hubs. However, the abundance of floral resources changes throughout the season, potentially altering bee visitation rate per flower. This could affect pathogen transmission by influencing both the likelihood of pathogen deposition on flowers and of new hosts encountering pathogens. We assessed the effect of peak bloom timing on transmission of a bumble bee (Bombus…
- High-Throughput iNaturalist Image Analysis Reveals Flower Color Divergence in Monarda fistulosaby Patrick F McKenzie on June 18, 2026 at 10:00 am
AbstractCharacterizing patterns of trait variation across widespread species is a fundamental goal of natural history. Here we create a pipeline to analyze a large community science dataset and test hypothesized flower color divergence across the range of an abundant wildflower. Monarda fistulosa is a North American perennial that produces showy lavender inflorescences. Although previous literature suggests that the flowers of western M. fistulosa might display a deeper purple color than the…
- Foliar pathogens and drought drive plant-soil feedback between two co-occurring herbaceous plant speciesby Philippa Tanford on May 28, 2026 at 10:00 am
Plants alter soil biotic and abiotic properties with consequences for plant community dynamics at local and global scales, but how plant-soil interactions are affected by other environmental and biotic interactions remains poorly understood. We performed a fully reciprocal plant-soil feedback (PSF) experiment between two herbaceous plants, Monarda fistulosa and Plantago lanceolata, and tested how PSFs were influenced by drought and foliar powdery mildew pathogen infection. We observed…
- Biological Characterization and Essential Oil Profiles of Eastern European Cultivars of Thymus, Satureja, and Monardaby Katarzyna Pokajewicz on January 28, 2026 at 11:00 am
Thymus, Satureja, and Monarda are three plant genera, belonging to the Lamiaceae family, that are particularly valued for their essential oils (EOs) abundant in phenolic terpenoids. In this study, a botanical characterization of the following eight Eastern European cultivars (some of them newly bred) grown in Ukraine is distinguished: Thymus vulgaris (‘Yalos’, ‘101’), Thymus richardii (‘Fantasia’), Satureja montana (‘Krymsky smaragd’, ‘Lunata’, ‘4-18’), Monarda fistulosa (‘Premiera’), and…
References
Marchese, A., Arciola, C. R., Coppo, E., Barbieri, R., Barreca, D., Chebaibi, S., . . . Daglia, M. (2018). The natural plant compound carvacrol as an antimicrobial and anti-biofilm agent: mechanisms, synergies and bio-inspired anti-infective materials. Biofouling, 34(6), 630-656. doi:10.1080/08927014.2018.1480756
Rowe, L., Gibson, D., Landis, D., Gibbs, J., & Isaacs, R. (2018). A Comparison of Drought-Tolerant Prairie Plants to Support Managed and Wild Bees in Conservation Programs. Environ Entomol, 47(5), 1128-1142. doi:10.1093/ee/nvy091
Sharifi-Rad, M., Varoni, E. M., Iriti, M., Martorell, M., Setzer, W. N., Del Mar Contreras, M., . . . Sharifi-Rad, J. (2018). Carvacrol and human health: A comprehensive review. Phytother Res, 32(9), 1675-1687. doi:10.1002/ptr.6103
Tabanca, N., Bernier, U. R., Ali, A., Wang, M., Demirci, B., Blythe, E. K., . . . Khan, I. A. (2013). Bioassay-guided investigation of two Monarda essential oils as repellents of yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti. J Agric Food Chem, 61(36), 8573-8580. doi:10.1021/jf402182h
Wilson, G. L., & Scullin, M. (2014). Uses of Plants by the Hidatsas of the Northern Plains. Lincoln, UNITED STATES: Nebraska.