Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.

The flower cluster at the top of the stem or a branch has numerous bright purple flowers, in the typical Monarda shape, and about 10-20 in bloom simultaneously. Though the flower color will separate this species from M. didyma, M. clinopodia, M. austroappalachiana, and most individuals of M. fistulosa, there is one scarce variety of the last species (var. rubra) that also has purple flowers. However, M. fistulosa leaves tend to be lanceolate, usually about 1-inch wide or less, and they are about 3 times as long as wide, rather than 2 times as long as wide in M. media. Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.

M. media is a problematic taxon, especially in combination with M. fistulosa var. rubra. Many have suggested that M. media is the result of hybridization or introgression of M. didyma with either M. fistulosa or M. clinopodia, or both..., per Weakley's Flora (2022)

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Monarda media   FAMILY Lamiaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)

Monarda ×media

INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 164-23-001?:

Monarda didyma   FAMILY Lamiaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH A review of the genus Monarda (Labiatae) (McClintock & Epling, 1942)

Monarda media

INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Monarda media

COMMON NAME:
Purple Beebalm, Purple Bergamot

         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913    pnd_mome_001_lvd

        

Patrick D. McMillan    pdmmmedia_brp2

August?        NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

Deep reddish purple flowers and dark purple floral bracts, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).

Patrick D. McMillan    pdmmmedia_brp3

August?        NC

Blue Ridge Parkway

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Monarda media   FAMILY Lamiaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Monarda media   FAMILY Lamiaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Monarda ×media

INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 164-23-001?:
Monarda didyma   FAMILY Lamiaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH A review of the genus Monarda (Labiatae) (McClintock & Epling, 1942)
Monarda media

INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Monarda media