Bee balm
Monarda didyma
Oswego tea. A mint-family native ornamental. Leaves make a bergamot-ish tea; not Citrus bergamia. Powdery mildew is the garden drama.
GROW → HARVEST → EAT → DRY → POWDER → CAPSULE → GUMMY — forms are not equivalent. Food first.
Identity
Also called: Oswego tea, bergamot (Monarda)
What it is
Oswego tea. A mint-family native ornamental. Leaves make a bergamot-ish tea; not Citrus bergamia. Powdery mildew is the garden drama.
Edible portions
- leaves
- flowers
Absence of a portion from this list means it is not treated as food here — not that every other part is toxic.
Growing
- Climate. 4–9
- Light. Sun to part shade, airflow
- Soil. Moist, rich
- Planting. Division. Thin for air.
- Harvest. Leaves and flowers in bloom.
Preparation and culinary uses
- Herbal tea
- edible-flower garnish
Next steps
Sources
- USDA PLANTS Database — taxonomy and range (verify current entries)
- No USDA FoodData Central nutrient profile is attached here. That is not a claim that the plant contains no nutrients.
- State cooperative extension growing guides — verify for your region
Honest incompleteness is preferred to fabricated completeness. If a section is missing, no record for it is attached here — not a claim that the plant lacks that characteristic, and not that it was omitted as a secret.
Internal quality class B. Good foundation: enough unique information to exist as its own destination.