Downy wood mint
Blephilia ciliata

Family: Lamiaceae

What it is like

Blephilia ciliata is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.7 m (2ft 4in) by 0.4 m (1ft 4in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4. The flowers are pollinated by Bees, Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Height (m): 0.7

Where it is found

Indigenous to dry open woods, prairies, savannas, limestone bluffs, glades, barrens, clearings, fields, steep slopes, disturbed sites and roadsides. Plants often occur in thin soils over limestone.

Eastern North American and through parts of the Central United States. Plants occur from Canada south to Georgia and west to Oklahoma.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

North America.

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Leaves. Minty leaves eaten raw and used in teas. The leaves can be used to prepare sauces and drinks.

Medicine

Rating: 1

Traditionally used by the Cherokee to make a poultice to treat headaches.

Other

Rating: 2

A strong scented plant that may act as an aromatic pest confuser reducing their ability to find other nearby crops. The flowers attract long-tongued and short-tongued bees, bee flies, Syrphid flies, butterflies, and skippers (illinoiswildflowers.info). A plant for Forest Gardens, Pollinator Gardens, Prairie or Meadow. Used as Butterfly Nectar Plants or as part of a Groundcover or Mass Planting. Showy Blooms can be used in Cottage Gardens, Deer Resistant Plantings, Rock Gardens, Water-wise Landscapes, Low Maintenance Plantings, Perennial Borders, Restoration Projects and Wildlife Gardens (newmoonnursery.com).

Soil stabilization: Plants that can be grown in places such as sand dunes in order to prevent erosion by wind, water or other agents.

Attracts Wildlife: Plants noted for attracting wildlife

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

Ground Cover: Ground Cover

How it is grown

A Short-Lived fast-growing herbaceous perennial with an upright form. It prefers full sun to semi-shade and a loamy, silty soil with a pH 6 to 8. Downy wood mint has some drought tolerance but dislikes waterlogged soils or flooding. It is sensitive to salt, soil compaction. Flowers are fragrant. Soil can contain loam, clay, gravel and limestone. A high pH is tolerated but will restrict growth. It has a greater tolerance to drought than other mint species. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a clumper with limited spread. Root type is fibrous and shallow. Flowering time: June to August (Northern Hemisphere).

Propagating it: Propagate by division.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 4-7

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Downy pagoda plant, sunny woodmint and Ohio horsemint.

Synonyms

B. brevifolia Raf. B. ciliata f. ciliata. B. heterophyla Raf. B. pratensis Raf. Monarda beckii Eaton. Monarda ciliata L.