Bee Balms Petite Delight Bee Balm
A fragrant North American herb (Monarda didyma) is in the mint family, having many colored, tubular, two lips flowers grouped in dense showy heads. It is also called bergamot. Bee balm, a name for several herbs, especially Melissa officinalis and Monarda didyma, both perennials of the family Labiatae (mint family) named because of their fragrance, attraction to bees and hummingbirds. Melissa officinalis, called bee balm or lemon balm, was presented to North America from the Mediterranean region, where it has long been grown for its lemonlike odor and flavor. The leaves and the oil distilled from them which are known as balm or melissa are widely used for seasonings and beverages. Monarda didyma, also called Oswego tea, is native to the eastern North America and was used by the Native Americans and colonists for tea. It is also cultivated as an ornamental for its tips end cluster of red blossoms. Oswego tea is similar and closely related to wild bergamot. The names bergamot and balm are also used for other plants. Bergamont (Monarda didyma) is a North American aromatic herb also known as Scarlet Monarda, Oswego Tea, or Bee Balm. Its name is derived from its odor which is considered similar to that of the bergamot orange. The name Oswego Tea comes from the Oswego Indians who taught the immigrants how to use it for tea.
The bergamot herb is not the source of bergamot oil, used to flavor Earl Grey tea; that comes from the bergamot orange, a Mediterranean citrus fruit.
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Bee balm is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Lamiales, family Labiatae.