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November 29, 2003    


Bagging the Elusive Oswego Tea

Monarda didyma, also called oswego tea or bee balm, is native to Pennsylvania and the northeast and was used, along with other species of Monarda, by the Native Americans and colonists for tea. This member of the mint family ( Lamiaceae ) is also cultivated as an ornamental.

Its ragged whorl of bright red flowers is a treat to see when hiking along streams in mid to late summer. In color intensity, few other flowers rivale bee balm, one of the most notable being cardinal flower ( Lobelia cardinalis ) – another streamside-dwelling species. Other closely related Monardas are less conspicuous with pale pink to almost white flowers.

Today's photo is of Oswago tea red beebalm and was taken by WPC President Larry Schweiger.

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