bee balm

noun

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

Origin of bee balm

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bee balm

Historical Examples of bee balm

I have never found it with its only rival in color, the monarda or bee-balm, a species of mint.
Riverby
John Burroughs
Then the unseen painter begins to mix the royal colour on his palette, and the red of the bee-balm catches your eye.
Little Rivers
Henry van Dyke