bee balm

noun

1. perennial herb of North America

• Syn: ↑beebalm, ↑Monarda fistulosa

• Hypernyms: ↑monarda, ↑wild bergamot

2. perennial aromatic herb of eastern North America having variously colored tubular flowers in dense showy heads

• Syn: ↑beebalm, ↑bergamot mint, ↑oswego tea, ↑Monarda didyma

• Hypernyms: ↑monarda, ↑wild bergamot

3. bushy perennial Old World mint having small white or yellowish flowers and fragrant lemon-flavored leaves; a garden escapee in northern Europe and North America

• Syn: ↑lemon balm, ↑garden balm, ↑sweet balm, ↑beebalm, ↑Melissa officinalis

• Hypernyms: ↑herb, ↑herbaceous plant

• Member Holonyms: ↑Melissa, ↑genus Melissa

• Part Meronyms: ↑lemon balm

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noun

1. : lemon balm

2. : either of two common monardas:

a. : oswego tea

b. : a wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

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1. Also called Oswego tea. a wildflower, Monarda didyma, of the mint family, having thin, lance-shaped leaves and white, salmon, or intensely red flowers, growing along streams in temperate forests and widely cultivated in gardens.

2. a plant, Melissa officinalis, having broad, opposite, serrated leaves and tight clusters of white, lemon-scented flowers that attract bees.

[1840-50, Amer.]

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bee balm noun

A species of Monarda or other sweet-smelling plant

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Main Entry: ↑bee

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bee balm,

any one of various perennial plants of North America belonging to the mint family, such as the Oswego tea. Certain varieties have red or lavender blossoms that are very attractive to bees, especially bumblebees, and also to hummingbirds.

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n. another term for bergamot (sense 3)