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Tried and True Native Plant Selections
for the Mid-Atlantic
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Monarda punctata (Horsemint, Spotted Beebalm)
Native* to the eastern United States and to NoVA (except for Loudoun County), Spotted Beebalm inhabits dry prairies and sandy areas. This showy plant with tubular flowers, colorful bracts, and a stacked, whorled appearance provides interesting form and texture to the garden and attracts a variety of pollinators and beneficial insects.
*It is native to DC and MD. It is common in the Coastal Plain of DE and rare in PA. In VA, it is frequent in the Coastal Plain, infrequent in the Piedmont, and rare in the mountains.
In native Monarda punctata (spotted beebalm), two fertile stamens and a style/stigma are tucked under the upper petal lip. When the anthers are mature with pollen, they become visible and dispense pollen on visiting insects like the Polistes dominula (European paper wasp) in this video. Beneficial wasps are one of the most effective pollinators of spotted beebalm and will be attracted to gardens in which it is planted. Learn more about Pollinators.
Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants:
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets