This native perennial wildflower is one of the most beautiful and brightly colored flowers in our state due to its dense showy cluster of scarlet tubular flowers. It also has red-colored bracts and red-tinted leaves below the flower cluster. Sometimes the upper flower tubes bloom before the lower ones giving the whole flower cluster with red bracts a temporary appearance of being two-layered.

Each tubular flower is about 1 ½ inches long and has a protruding red-tipped stigma and yellowish anthers protruding from the tube. The edge of the flower tube has an arching upper lip and a spreading, three-lobed lower lip. The edge has five teeth with hair-like tips. The red color tends to attract hummingbirds and butterflies as pollinators, but in spite of its common name, bumblebees and not short-tongued bees are the primary pollinators.

The name beebalm is said to come from the use of an extract from the plant that was traditionally used to heal and soothe injuries, including bee stings. This is more likely to be the origin of its common name. The leaves can be used to season meat. Though a bit bitter, the taste is like a combination of mint and oregano. The plant has a long history of medicinal use. The crushed leaves exude fragrant oil.

After pollination the flower is replaced by an ovoid nutlet. The flowers have no fragrance, but the foliage is aromatic. The plant may also form colonies by the growth of rhizomes. The plant grows two to five feet high and blooms from July to September. Scarlet beebalm has a square stem like all mints, and has three to 6 inch long paired leaves with short stems.

This species grows on the edges of moist woods and thickets, especially along stream banks. It is found primarily in northeastern United States and south to Georgia in the mountains, and also in the states of Washington and Oregon. It is found in most areas of Pennsylvania.

The plant is known to contain the antiseptic thymol, commonly used in modern mouthwashes. Scarlet beebalm has been extensively cultivated into gardens, often outside its natural range, and has escaped cultivation in these places. It is also considered a good companion plant for tomato gardens, protecting the tomato against disease and improving its taste. Unlike other types of mints it is not especially aggressive in spreading to dominate a garden. This species, however, is prone to powdery mildew when it grows in damp places with high humidity.