Blephilia ciliata

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Blephilia ciliata
Blephilia ciliata.jpg
Inflorescences
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Blephilia
Species:
B. ciliata
Binomial name
Blephilia ciliata
Synonyms [1]
List
    • Blephilia beckiiRaf.
    • Blephilia brevifoliaRaf.
    • Blephilia heterophylaRaf.
    • Blephilia pratensisRaf.
    • Monarda beckiiEaton
    • Monarda ciliataL.

Blephilia ciliata is a species of herbaceous perennial plant in the Lamiaceae (mint) family native to central and eastern North America. It is commonly called downy wood mint. [2] Other common names include downy pagoda-plant, sunny woodmint and Ohio horsemint. [3]

Contents

Description

Blephilia ciliata grows as a perennial herb reaching 40 to 80 cm (15.5 to 31.5 in) high. [4] The central stem is generally unbranched, except if it is damaged, side stems may form. As with many other plants in the mint family, the stem is 4-angled (square). [5] Leaves are sessile, lightly toothed, and mildly fragrant when crushed. [6] They are broadly ovate to lanceolate, are arranged oppositely on the stem, and measure up to 9 cm (3.5 in) long and 4 cm (1.5 in) across. Additionally, the basal leaves stay green through winter. [7] [8]

The inflorescence is a spike toward the end of the stem with 1 to 5 dense, headlike clusters spaced separately along the stem. Each of these clusters has numerous flowers resting on a pair of leaflike fringed bracts slightly longer than the flowers. [9] Flower petal color can range from blue, purple or white. [3]

Taxonomy

Carl Linnaeus described the downy wood mint as Monarda ciliata, before George Bentham gave it its current binomial name. [10]

Distribution and habitat

B. ciliata is native in the United States from Oklahoma to the west, Mississippi to the south, Massachusetts to the east, and the Canadian border to the north. In Canada, it is native in Ontario. [11] Its habitats include dry open woods and thickets, clearings, fields, and roadsides. [6]

Ecology

Flowers bloom from May to August and attract numerous bees, plus butterflies and skippers. [5]

Uses

It has traditionally been used by the Cherokee to make a poultice to treat headaches. [12]

Related Research Articles

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Fritillaria meleagris is a Eurasian species of flowering plant in the lily family Liliaceae. Its common names include snake's head fritillary, snake's head, chess flower, frog-cup, guinea-hen flower, guinea flower, leper lily, Lazarus bell, chequered lily, chequered daffodil, drooping tulip or, in the British Isles, simply fritillary. The plant is a bulbous perennial native to the flood river plains of Europe where it grows in abundance.

<i>Monarda</i> Genus of flowering plants

Monarda is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. The genus is endemic to North America. Common names include bergamot, bee balm, horsemint, and oswego tea, the first being inspired by the fragrance of the leaves, which is reminiscent of bergamot orange. The genus was named for the Spanish botanist Nicolás Monardes, who wrote a book in 1574 describing plants of the New World.

<i>Collinsonia canadensis</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Phlox stolonifera</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Ludwigia alternifolia</i> Species of flowering plant in the willowherb family Onagraceae

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<i>Arnoglossum atriplicifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Passiflora lutea</i> Species of vine

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<i>Liatris pycnostachya</i> Species of flowering plant

Liatris pycnostachya, the prairie blazing star, cattail gayfeather, Kansas gayfeather, or cattail blazing star, is a perennial plant in the Asteraceae family that is native to the tallgrass prairies of the central United States.

<i>Oxalis violacea</i> Species of flowering plant

Oxalis violacea, the violet wood-sorrel, is a perennial plant and herb in the family Oxalidaceae. It is native to the eastern and central United States.

<i>Rudbeckia triloba</i> Species of flowering plant

Rudbeckia triloba, the browneyed or brown-eyed susan, thin-leaved coneflower or three-leaved coneflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae with numerous, yellow, daisy-like flowers. It is native to the central and eastern United States and is often seen in old fields or along roads. It is also cultivated as an ornamental.

<i>Ratibida columnifera</i> Species of flowering plant

Ratibida columnifera, commonly known as upright prairie coneflower, Mexican hat, and longhead prairie coneflower, is a perennial species of flowering plant in the genus Ratibida in the family Asteraceae. It is native to much of North America and inhabits prairies, plains, roadsides, and disturbed areas from southern Canada through most of the United States to northern Mexico.

<i>Blephilia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Blephilia, the pagoda plant or wood mint, is a genus of four species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. They are all herbaceous plants native to eastern North America. Blephilia are most often found in open areas, glades, and mesic forests. All species of Blephilia are considered threatened or endangered in some states.

<i>Tephrosia virginiana</i> Species of legume

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<i>Scutellaria incana</i> Species of flowering plant

Scutellaria incana, the hoary skullcap or downy skullcap, is a species of perennial flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae. It is native to North America and is primarily found in the eastern United States as well as some parts of the Midwest.

<i>Achillea ageratifolia</i> Species of yarrow

Achillea ageratifolia, the Balkan yarrow or Greek yarrow, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae, native to Bulgaria and Greece. Growing to 20 cm (7.9 in) tall and broad, it is a compact herbaceous perennial. It is a highly variable species, with three recognized subspecies. They have erect, simple, somewhat woody based stems. The narrow grey-green foliage resembles that of a related genus Ageratum, hence the Latin specific epithet ageratifolia. The solitary, daisy-like composite flower heads are white with yellow centres and about 2–3 cm across. They appear May–July in the northern hemisphere.

<i>Blephilia hirsuta</i> Species of flowering plant

Blephilia hirsuta, commonly known as hairy wood-mint or hairy pagoda plant, is a species of herbaceous perennial in the mint family Lamiaceae. It is native to eastern North America.

<i>Helianthus mollis</i> Species of sunflower

Helianthus mollis is a species of sunflower known by the common names ashy sunflower or downy sunflower. It is widespread across much of the United States and Canada, primarily the Great Lakes region from Ontario south to Texas and Alabama. Additional populations are found in the states of the Atlantic Coast from Maine to Georgia, but these appear to be introduced.

<i>Teucrium canadense</i> Species of herb

Teucrium canadense, commonly known as Canada germander, American germander, or wood sage, is a perennial herb in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to North America where it is found across the contiguous states of the United States and in much of Canada.

<i>Agastache nepetoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Agastache nepetoides, commonly known as yellow giant hyssop, is a perennial flowering plant native to the central and eastern United States and Canada. It is a member of the Lamiaceae (mint) family.

<i>Verbena canadensis</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Verbenaceae

Verbena canadensis, commonly known as rose mock vervain, rose verbena, clump verbena or rose vervain is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the verbena family (Verbenaceae) with showy pink to purple flowers.. It is native to the eastern and south-central areas of the United States. This species is widely cultivated as an ornamental, and naturalized populations have been established outside its native range, such as in the northeastern U.S.

References

  1. "Blephilia ciliata". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  2. "Blephilia ciliata". Canadensys. Université de Montréal Biodiversity Centre. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  3. 1 2 Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (26 August 2015). "Blephilia ciliata". University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  4. Miller, James Howard; Miller, Karl V. (2005). Forest plants of the Southeast and their wildlife uses. University of Georgia Press. p. 22. ISBN   0-8203-2748-4.
  5. 1 2 "Downy Wood Mint (Blephilia ciliata)". www.illinoiswildflowers.info.
  6. 1 2 "Blephilia ciliata - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
  7. "Blephilia ciliata". Prairie Moon Nursery. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  8. "Blephilia ciliata - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  9. "Blephilia ciliata page". www.missouriplants.com.
  10. Bentham, George (1836). Labiatarum genera et species: or, A description of the genera and species of plants of the order Labiatae; with their general history, characters, affinities, and geographical distribution. London: James Ridgway and Sons. p. 319.
  11. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org.
  12. Hamel, Paul B.; Chiltoskey, Mary U. (1975). Cherokee Plants and Their Uses - A 400 Year History. Sylva, N.C.: Herald Publishing Co. p. 45. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2013.