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Washington monkey-flower

seep monkey-flower, yellow monkey-flower

Habit Annuals with fibrous roots or threadlike taproot; stems 5-25 cm, erect to ascending, straight or sharply bent at nodes, typically heavily branched, not angled; puberulent- to villous-glandular, flattened gland-tipped hairs 0.1-0.8 mm, sometimes transparent. A highly variable species, either annual from fibrous roots, or perennial with stolons or rhizomes, the stems from less than a decimeter to nearly a meter high.
Leaves

Leaves cauline, basal ones not persistent;

petioles 2-14 mm;

blade triangular to ovate to narrowly ovate, 4-16 mm long and 2-11 mm broad, palmate venation, base rounded to cuneate to truncate, margins finely toothed or entire, apex acute, surfaces hairy-glandular as stems.

Leaves opposite, soft and often somewhat succulent, the blades from quite small to nearly 1 dm. long, irregularly dentate, ovate to reniform-cordate;

leaves nearly palmately veined, the 3-7 main veins arising near the base; lower leaves petiolate, becoming sessile upward, those of the inflorescence reduced and clasping.

Flowers

Axillary flowers 1-6, emerging from nodes throughout; fruiting pedicels 20-50 mm, densely covered with minute stalked glands;

calyx greenish, ridged, tubular, slightly inflated, 6-8 mm, margins toothed or lobed, covered with minute stalked glands, lobes pronounced, erect;

corollas yellow with small reddish brown dots, lower limb with two whitish patches, symmetric bilaterally, bilabiate;

tube-throat funnel-shaped and 8-10 mm, protruding beyond calyx margin;

limb expanded 7-10 mm, lobes obovate-oblong, apex rounded to somewhat cuneate;

styles hispid-hirtellous;

anthers not protruding, glabrous.

Flowers several to many in terminal racemes, on long pedicels, or solitary in dwarf forms;

calyx 5-toothed, irregular, the upper tooth much the largest, the 2 lower ones tending to fold upward;

corolla 1-4 cm. long, strongly bilabiate, with flaring throat, yellow with maroon dots or splotches on the pubescent lower lip;

stamens 4.

Fruit(s)

Capsules 5-8.5 mm, included.

Capsule.

Erythranthe washingtonensis

Erythranthe guttata

Flowering time April-June March-September
Habitat Shallow or gravelly soils of vernally moist areas at low elevations. Wet places, from sea level to middle elevations in the mountains.
Distribution
Occurring east of the cascades crest in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; south-central Washington to adjacent north-central Oregon.
[WildflowerSearch map]
Widely distributed on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the northern Great Plains.
[WildflowerSearch map]
Origin Native Native
Conservation status Historical in Washington (WANHP) Not of concern
Sibling taxa
E. alsinoides, E. ampliata, E. arvensis, E. breviflora, E. breweri, E. caespitosa, 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. alsinoides, E. ampliata, E. arvensis, E. breviflora, E. breweri, E. caespitosa, E. cardinalis, E. decora, E. dentata, E. floribunda, E. grandis, 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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