Description

Horsemint is a multi-stemmed unbranched perennial wildflower. This beebalm bears narrow aromatic leaves on purplish stems and is 1-3 feet tall. In summer, plants are topped by showy rounded clusters of creamy purple-spotted tubular flowers. Leaf-like pink, lavender or creamy bracts form beneath each flower cluster. The stacked combination of colored bracts and speckled flowers is unique and showy. Pollinators flock to the blooms in sunny prairie-like settings or in gardens with sandy well drained soils.

Butterflies, skippers, hummingbird moths, hummingbirds, honeybees, bumblebees and other native bees sip nectar from the flowers. Caterpillars of several moth species feed on the foliage. The aromatic leaves and stems are unpalatable to deer, rabbits and other herbivores.

Horsemint thrives in full sun and dry sandy soil. The species is considered to be a short lived perennial or biennial. Plants reliably emerge from dormancy for 2 years and may reseed after that. Other common names include Spotted Horsemint, Dotted Mint and Dotted Horsemint.