Blephilia ciliata
Downy Wood Mint
Item #: 17371
Zones: 4a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Blephilia ciliata is a little-known clumping mint cousin, native from Vermont south to Georgia and west to Texas, where it occurs in open woods and meadows. In form, Blephilia ciliata is a woodland version of bee balm without the pesky spreading tendency. Downy wood mint forms a 1.5' tall x 1.5' wide clump of upright hairy stems, topped, starting for us in mid-May with whorls of lavender flowers. Like its cousin, bee balm, Blephilia ciliata is a favorite of native bees. Soils with average to slightly dry moisture levels are ideal. Medicinally, Blephilia was used by Native Americans as a headache treatment, and for culinarily uses, the foliage is both eaten and used to brew teas.
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Other Attributes
Genus: Blephilia
Flower Color: Purple/Lavender
Leaf Color: Green
Bloom Time: Spring
Container Role: Fillers
Garden Themes: Cottage Garden Plants
Other: Fragrant Foliage Plants , Butterfly Attracting Plants , Cut Flower Plants , Deer Resistant Plants , Drought Tolerant Plants , Hummingbird Plants , Pollinator Plants , North American Native Plants , North Carolina Native Plants , Plants Named After Animals , Rabbit Resistant Plants , United States Native Plants