bee balm

noun

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bee balm¹

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Example Sentences

Then the unseen painter begins to mix the royal colour on his palette, and the red of the bee-balm catches your eye.

From Project Gutenberg

I have never found it with its only rival in color, the monarda or bee-balm, a species of mint.

From Project Gutenberg

June will give the bellflower, mullein, bee balm and foxglove.

From Project Gutenberg

The cardinal flower is the only flower more gaudy in red than this bee balm.

From Project Gutenberg