Blephilia ciliata Ohio Horsemint

Ohio Native Plant Natural Range

To view the natural range of Blephilia hirsuta visit the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service website.
I can only imagine what a field of Ohio Horsemint might look like

Cultivation Information Ohio Horsemint

Does anyone-else see the little smiling faces?
Height - 1 ftFlower Color - PurpleBlooms - June - JulySun - Full to partSoil - Medium to Medium DryHardy Zone - 4 to 8 PerennialFamily - Lamiaceae
Leaf scent - Unlike Blephilia hirsuta the leaves of Blephilia ciliata offer no aroma, making leaf scent an easy way to distinguish the two plants before they flower.
Identifying native plants
Blephilia ciliata's oblong leaves are opposite of one another.
Learning to recognize a plant's leaf structure will help you identify a native perennials even when they are not flowering.
Notice the unusual flower structure of Blephilia ciliata

Wildlife Significance Blephilia ciliata

Pollination - If learning to identify bees interests you, this would be a native species to observe. The Illinois Wildflower website mentions a wide diversity of bee that visits Ohio Horsemint including: honeybees, bumblebees, little carpenter bees, leaf-cutting bees, masked bees and more.
Nectar for - Butterflies, skippers, Syrphid flies Deer - Mammals tend to give Ohio Horsemint a quick glance and mosey on, as they are generally not fond of plants in the mint (Lamiaceae) family.
For detailed information, visit the Illinois Wildflower website
Propagation Notes Blephilia ciliata
Stratifying Seeds
1. Zip lock plastic bag2. Few tablespoons of Vermiculite 3. Dampen vermiculite - not soggy4. Store Blephilia ciliata seeds in refrigerator for 60 days before sowing. Seeds require light and cold, moist storage in order to germinate Small seed - I have had success not covering tiny seeds like Blephilia ciliata with soil, even if resources don't suggest it. Sowing seeds indoors - Starting seedlings indoors when you are working with an unfamiliar native plant makes identification much easier, more importantly, it is fun to raise plants in February. Outdoors - You will have more success if you create some type of cover for your seedlings, we used old windows.
Preparing dried seeds for stratification
Basal leaves remain green throughout the winter
Seed Provenance Blephia ciliata
NOG, 2021 - present, Native-BeeGinnings, PA, 2019