Flower profile
Lemon beebalm
Monarda citriodora
Lemon beebalm (Monarda citriodora) is a flowering plant in the Lamiaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–June across the U.S.
Lemon beebalm is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–June.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
Quick look
Monarda citriodora is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae, that is native to the southern United States and northern Mexico. Common names include lemon beebalm, lemon mint and purple horsemint. When crushed, the leaves emit an odor reminiscent of lemons. This odor is sometimes described as more resembling oregano, especially late in the season.
- It belongs to the Lamiaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, biennial, perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 19 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Texas and Oklahoma. NatureServe
- In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 21,803 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #12 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 630 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #50 among the 159 flowers on our Oklahoma list. iNaturalist
When does it bloom?
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Texas
- Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
- Oklahoma
- No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
NC State Extension notes: “Leaves used raw or cooked for flavoring in salads, cooked foods, and for tea.” NC State Extension
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 records lemon beebalm in 19 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah.
Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Armstrong, Austin, Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Briscoe, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Calhoun, Callahan, Cameron, Childress, Coke, Coleman, Colorado, Comal, Comanche, Cottle, Crockett, Dallas, Denton, Donley, Duval, Edwards, Erath, Falls, Fayette, Fisher, Foard, Galveston, Garza, Gillespie, Glasscock, Goliad, Gray, Grayson, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hamilton, Harris, Hays, Hidalgo, Hood, Hunt, Hutchinson, Irion, Jeff Davis, Kaufman, Kendall, Kent, Kimble, Kinney, Kleberg, Lavaca, Leon, Liberty, Lipscomb, Live Oak, Llano, Lubbock, Madison, Marion, Martin, Mason, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Mitchell, Motley, Navarro, Nueces, Ochiltree, Oldham, Palo Pinto, Parker, Pecos, Randall, Reagan, Real, Roberts, Robertson, San Augustine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, San Saba, Schleicher, Shackelford, Somervell, Starr, Sutton, Tarrant, Taylor, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Uvalde, Val Verde, Walker, Waller, Washington, Wichita, Williamson, Wilson, Wise.
Oklahoma counties with USDA records: Alfalfa, Atoka, Beaver, Beckham, Blaine, Bryan, Carter, Cherokee, Choctaw, Cleveland, Comanche, Garvin, Greer, Harmon, Harper, Hughes, Jackson, Johnston, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Latimer, Love, Major, Marshall, Mayes, McClain, McCurtain, Murray, Muskogee, Osage, Payne, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Roger Mills, Rogers, Sequoyah, Texas, Tillman, Tulsa, Washita, Woods.
Names, range and relatives
County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 265 counties across 16 states; the most are in Texas (112), Oklahoma (41), Kansas (39).
Other Monarda on Bloomipedia (4): Wild bergamot, Spotted horsemint, Scarlet beebalm, Eastern 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 Texas flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile MOCI.
- iNaturalist, Monarda citriodora: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Monarda citriodora (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
- Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
- Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Monarda citriodora (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
- Photo: Linda Jo Conn via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.