Flower profile

Eastern beebalm

Monarda bradburyana

Eastern beebalm (Monarda bradburyana) is a flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family, blooming mostly April–May across the U.S.

Eastern beebalm is a flowering plant. In Missouri it's most often seen in bloom in April–May.

–states where USDA records it

1,394MO sightings*

2,651U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Missouri

Quick look

It belongs to the Lamiaceae family. ^iNaturalist
In Missouri, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,394 research-grade sightings of it in Missouri, ranking #41 among the 177 flowers on our Missouri list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

In Missouri, most flowering sightings come in April–May.

Flowering records by month in Missouri (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (61 records)

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe: Unknown We couldn't find this name in NatureServe Explorer. ^NatureServe
Missouri: Not listed Not on Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants. ^{3 CSR 10-4.111}

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleEdible (per NC State Extension)

NC State Extension notes: “Leaves may be used in teas” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS has no state-by-state distribution for this name, so we can't map it yet.

Names, range and relatives

Other Monarda on Bloomipedia (4): Wild bergamot, Lemon beebalm, Spotted horsemint, Scarlet beebalm.

More from the Lamiaceae family (44 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common selfheal, Ground-ivy, Red deadnettle, American beautyberry, Henbit deadnettle, Lyreleaf sage, American germander, Common motherwort.

More Missouri flowers

Henbit deadnettle

Lamium amplexicaule

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in MO: March–April

Red deadnettle

Lamium purpureum

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in MO: March–April

Ground-ivy

Glechoma hederacea

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in MO: March–May

Sources

USDA PLANTS: no profile matched this name.
iNaturalist, Monarda bradburyana: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Missouri: Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants.
Missouri: Missouri noxious weed list (2 CSR 70-45.005).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Gordon C. Snelling via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.