Scarlet tubular flowers crown square stems with aromatic foliage.
Who uses this plant?
13CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY
Genus host records with ranges including KY · Monarda
- Anterastria teratophoraGrey Marvel, White Spotted Jaspidia
- Eosphoropteryx thyatyroidesPink-Patched Looper Moth
- Lintneria eremitusHermit Sphinx
- Orthodes majusculaRustic Quaker, Rustic Groundcat
- Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
- Pyrausta orphisalisOrange Mint Moth, Orange Spotted Pyrausta
- Pyrausta signatalisRaspberry Pyrausta
- Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
- Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
- Chionodes fondella
Show all 13
- Pyrausta generosa
- Pyrausta inveterascalis
- Xenotemna pallorana
37BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Monarda
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
4Specialist beesPollen specialists
Pollen specialists · Monarda
- Dufourea monardae
- Perdita gerhardi
- Perdita variegata
- Protandrena abdominalis
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claimNo records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Plant details
- Family
- Lamiaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 4a–9b
- Soil pH
- Acidic to neutral
- Flower color
- Red
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Allow room for spreading stems. Avoid overhead watering to reduce mildew; retain some hollow stems for bees. NC State Extension
Growing sources and scope
- Flower color · “Red” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Hardiness · “Zones 4a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “2–4 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- primary_flower_color · “red” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “2–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Recognizing it
Opposite toothed leaves, square stems, and dense heads of narrow two-lipped flowers. Identification source
Also known as
Oswego Tea; Scarlet Bee Balm
Conservation status
| Kentucky rank | S4S5 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| KY status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your spot?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- tnky_atlas
- usda
- nc_flora
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications
- NC State Extension