Ohio Horsemint(Blephilia ciliata)
Best grown in average, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade.
Blephilia ciliata, commonly called Ohio horsemint, is a native perennial which occurs in dryish open woods and thickets, clearings, fields and roadsides in the eastern 2/3 of the State. A clump-forming, mint family member that features mostly unbranched, square stems which rise to 30" tall. Blue-purple, two-lipped flowers appear in late spring to mid-summer in several tiered, whorled, globular clusters in an interrupted terminal spike, with each cluster being subtended by (resting upon) a whorl of fringed bracts. Similar in appearance to the closely related monardas. Lanceolate stem leaves are sessile, lightly-toothed, whitish-downy below and mildly fragrant when crushed. Leaves are usually considered to be lacking in the pungency and quality needed for use as a culinary herb. Small basal leaves and shoots remain green throughout the winter.
Genus name comes from the Greek blepharis meaning an eyelash for the bracts being
Native Range: Eastern United States
Zone: 4 to 8
Height: 1.00 to 2.50 feet
Spread: 0.75 to 1.50 feet
Bloom Time: May to August
Bloom Description: Blue, purple
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Medium
Flower: Showy
Tolerate: Drought, Dry Soil