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large mountain monkey-flower

sharp-leaved monkey-flower, showy monkey-flower

Habit Rhizomatous perennials, rooting at nodes nearest the base, occasionally producing runners with creeping form and small leaves, forming colonies of mats, rhizomes threadlike; stems 3-10 cm, usually prostrate or with some curving upward distally, usually massed, round or somewhat flat, branching, may be glabrous or slightly hirtellous or with stalked glands. Rhizomatous perennials, occasionally producing many long runners from nodes near base; stems 20-100 cm, erect, not branched, ends of stems densely pubescent with minute and somewhat rigid hairs.
Leaves

Leaves both basal and cauline; petiolate, proximal petioles 2-5 mm, becoming sessile distally;

blade commonly purplish beneath, orbicular to ovate to narrowly elliptic, leaves nearest base somewhat lyrate, 3-12 mm and becoming larger farther from base, palmate venation with 3 veins, base wedge-shaped, margins entire to barely finely toothed, apex obtuse, somewhat puberulent above and beneath, hairs minute and stipitate-glandular.

Leaves mostly cauline, basal leaves generally not persistent;

petioles 8-25 mm near base, 3-5 mm mid-stem, sessile distally;

blade ovate-triangular to ovate-lanceolate, typically 20-50 mm long and 10-30 mm broad, palmate venation with 5-7 veins, base rounded to truncate to shallowly cuneate, margins sharply toothed, apex acute, surfaces occasionally becoming glabrous, distalmost surfaces hairy as stems.

Flowers

Axillary flowers 1-3, from nodes farthest from base, usually solitary; fruiting pedicels generally 10-30 mm, somewhat villous with short gland-tipped hairs, occasionally hirtellous;

calyx broadly bell-shaped, inflated, compressed along sagittal plane, 7-15 mm, glabrous or hirtellous or stipitate-glandular, throat closing, lobe pair nearest base curving upwards, other lobes 3-5 mm, prominently protruding;

corollas yellow with dark red spots, symmetric bilaterally, bilabiate;

tube-throat widely funnel-shaped to nearly cylindric, 15-18 mm, protruding beyond calyx margin; lower limb deflexed and spreading, upper limb curving upward, palate partially closed;

styles slightly hirtellous;

anthers not protruding, glabrous.

Axillary flowers generally 2-7, emerging from nodes at ends of stems; fruiting pedicels 18-35 mm, distalmost pedicels hairy as stems with hairs often barely deflexed;

calyx green with occasional red spots, ovoid, inflated, compressed across sagittal plane, 15-19 mm, hairy as stems, throat closing, lobe margins villous;

corollas yellow, throat commonly red-spotted, symmetric bilaterally, bilabiate;

tube-throat widely funnel-shaped, 18-26 mm, protruding 10-15 mm beyond calyx margin;

limb expanded 22-30 mm;

styles prominently hirsute to villous;

anthers not protruding, glabrous.

Fruits

Capsules 4-5 mm, included.

Capsules 8-10 mm, included.

Erythranthe caespitosa

Erythranthe decora

Flowering time July-September May-August
Habitat Wet meadows and wet, rocky slopes at high elevations in the mountains. Moist to wet open areas from the lowlands to middle elevations in the mountains.
Distribution
Occurring in the Olympics and Cascades mountains of Washington; British Columbia south to Oregon, east to Idaho.
[WildflowerSearch map]
Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; southern British Columbia to southwestern Oregon, also in northern Idaho.
[WildflowerSearch map]
Origin Native Native
Conservation status Not of concern Not of concern
Sibling taxa
E. alsinoides, E. ampliata, E. arvensis, E. breviflora, E. breweri, E. cardinalis, E. decora, E. dentata, E. floribunda, E. grandis, E. guttata, E. inflatula, E. jungermannioides, E. lewisii, E. microphylla, E. moschata, E. nasuta, E. patula, E. primuloides, E. ptilota, E. pulsiferae, E. scouleri, E. suksdorfii, E. washingtonensis
E. alsinoides, E. ampliata, E. arvensis, E. breviflora, E. breweri, E. caespitosa, E. cardinalis, E. dentata, E. floribunda, E. grandis, E. guttata, E. inflatula, E. jungermannioides, E. lewisii, E. microphylla, E. moschata, E. nasuta, E. patula, E. primuloides, E. ptilota, E. pulsiferae, E. scouleri, E. suksdorfii, E. washingtonensis
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