4 Arnoldia 78/3 « February 2021 
a taxonomic name nor does authorship change 
in the event a name is later recognized as a 
hybrid. While Willdenow’s description does 
not suggest that he recognized this taxon as a 
hybrid, he nonetheless noted an affinity to M. 
fistulosa, commonly known as wild bergamot. 
By 1901, Merritt Fernald, a botanist at Harvard, 
described observing numerous intermediate 
forms of M. media, making separation from 
M. fistulosa difficult. 
Currently, Monarda x media is recognized 
as a variable group of plants with intermedi- 
ate characteristics of M. didyma and either 
M. fistulosa or M. clinopodia or both. These 
numerous intermediate forms may stem from 
the various hybrid combinations, and thus, the 
name M. x media should ultimately be assigned 
to a specific combination (for instance, M. 
didyma crossed with M. clinopodia), with new 
names given to each of the others. Surprisingly, 
Willdenow did not designate a type herbarium 
specimen, which could make it more difficult 
to determine which combination should, in 
fact, retain the original name. 
To correctly sample true-to-type specimens 
of Monarda x media in nature, Silver would 
need to mark populations in bloom, since M. 
clinopodia—a white-flowered species—and 
M. didyma are often found nearby; sometimes 
they are even intermixed with M. x media. This 
raises an interesting question about whether 
M. x media plants are stable in nature or 
whether they require the parents to constantly 
resupply them. Despite subsequent discussion 
about conducting reconnaissance and sampling 
for M. x media in 2019, Silver had other projects 
that left no time to acquire samples. 
The following year, as implications of the 
coronavirus pandemic were becoming clear, I 
followed up by asking about the possibility of 
sampling a Monarda x media population. Sil- 
ver quickly replied, “I am much more out and 
about in the field (outside and distanced) these 
days. If pointed in the right direction, I’ll be glad 
to try and find populations within my limited 
taxonomic skills.” While the pandemic quickly 
resulted in travel cancellations and restrictions 
(out of state, not to mention out of the coun- 
try) across many agencies, Silver saw being in 
the field as an opportunity to be completely 
distanced while regaining a sense of normalcy. 
Using Levy’s herbarium vouchers, we identi- 
fied a total of three potential sites, but since 
the specimens were described from a broad geo- 
graphic area, their relocation was going to be 
challenging. A few weeks later, Silver reported 
finding Monarda x media while on a hike on his 
day off. His hike to get to these populations was 
three and a half miles (one way) with an eleva- 
tion climb of over two thousand feet. He took 
notes, GPS coordinates, and photos. Making 
the hike once again in the fall, Silver relocated 
the five previously flagged flowering patches, 
but one patch had been completely destroyed 
and another patch was nearly decimated due 
to human disturbance. He collected seeds from 
the available patches and then shipped them 
to Iowa. I assigned them an accession num- 
ber (Ames 35579) and deposited them into the 
repository’s freezer, which maintains the seeds 
at O°F (-18°C). This collection will be periodi- 
cally monitored for viability, and when ger- 
mination falls below a critical level, it will be 
regenerated using controlled pollination tech- 
niques ensuring the preservation of the genetic 
profile for the future. Since Silver sampled each 
clonal patch separately along with appropri- 
ate plant descriptions, the collections will be 
important resources for future research (includ- 
ing ecogeographic and phylogenetic studies). 
The collections might also be useful for select- 
ing superior genotypes for the nursery industry. 
Having one collection of this taxon is, of 
course, only a start—additional samples are 
desired. Yet Silver’s collections demonstrate 
the critical importance of local assistance while 
assembling a comprehensive germplasm collec- 
tion, especially given the amount of time and 
effort required to acquire even a single collec- 
tion. In the end, I’ll never forget Silver humbly 
labeling himself as an “amateur botanist with 
limited taxonomic skills,” as his Monarda x 
media collection is one of the most exciting, 
well-documented samples of Monarda that I’ve 
accessioned in my nearly twenty-year career. 
Jeffrey D. Carstens is the curator for woody and 
herbaceous plants at the North Central Regional Plant 
Introduction Station. 
