FNA: Diplacus mephiticus vs. Diplacus rutilus

	Diplacus mephiticus	Diplacus rutilus
	foul odor monkeyflower, skunky monkeyflower	Santa Susana bush monkeyflower
Habit	Herbs, annual.	Subshrubs.
Stems	erect, (20–)30–150(–180) mm, glandular-pubescent and viscid-villous.	erect, 300–1000(–2000) mm, glandular-puberulent and short-villous.
Leaves	usually cauline, relatively even-sized; petiole absent; blade ovate to oblong or narrowly elliptic to narrowly lanceolate, narrowly oblong, or linear, 10–25 × 1–5 mm, margins entire, plane, not ciliate, apex rounded to obtuse or acute, surfaces usually glandular-pubescent and (at least along veins) viscid-villous.	usually cauline, relatively even-sized; petiole absent; blade elliptic to lanceolate, elliptic-lanceolate, or elliptic-oblanceolate, 25–65(–80) × 4–15(–25) mm, margins entire or serrate, revolute, apex acute to obtuse, abaxial surfaces densely hairy, hairs branched, adaxial glabrescent.
Pedicels	1–3 mm in fruit.	5–16 mm in fruit.
Flowers	2 per node, or 1 or 2 per node on 1 plant, chasmogamous.	2 per node, chasmogamous.
Styles	glabrous or sparsely glandular-puberulent.	minutely glandular.
Corollas	of 2 color forms: (a) dark magenta, purplish, or reddish with palate ridges or whole throat floor yellow, red- or purple-dotted, lateral lobes yellowish inside and (b) yellow with red or purple spots on floor, tube-throat 8–12(–15) mm, tube 1.3–1.9 mm diam. at filament insertion, limb 5–12(–15) mm diam., bilabiate.	red to orange-red, throat whitish at least on floor, palate ridges orange or white with orange crest, tube-throat 34–45 mm, limb (25–)28–40 mm diam., bilabiate, lobes oblong, apex of adaxial 2 each shallowly, asymmetrically incised.
Calyces	symmetrically attached to pedicels, slightly inflated in fruit, (3–)4–7(–9) mm, glandular-pubescent and viscid-villous (at least along veins), lobes subequal, apex acute to acuminate, ribs dark green to purplish, intercostal areas whitish.	not inflated in fruit, 22–32 mm, glandular-puberulent and short glandular-villous to hirsute-villous, tube slightly dilated distally, lobes unequal, apex acute, ribs green, intercostal areas light green.
Capsules	5–8 mm.	18–28 mm.
Anthers	exserted, short-hirsute.	included, glabrous.
Stigmas	exserted or at opening of corolla tube-throat, lobes subequal to unequal, abaxial to 2 times adaxial.	included, lobes equal.

	Diplacus mephiticus	Diplacus rutilus
Phenology	Flowering (May–)Jun–Aug(–Sep).	Flowering Mar–Jun.
Habitat	Openings in sagebrush, disturbed slopes, granite outcrops, serpentine substrates, gravelly and sandy soils, sandy moraines, pumice flats, gravelly washes, meadows, shadscale and sagebrush communities, pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine woodlands.	Chaparral.
Elevation	1300–3700 m. (4300–12100 ft.)	400–600 m. (1300–2000 ft.)
Distribution	CA; NV [WildflowerSearch map]	CA [BONAP county map]
Discussion	Diplacus mephiticus occurs in eastern California and west-central Nevada. Various synonyms treated here are in agreement with D. M. Thompson (2005). Mimulus coccineus (mostly from Eldorado to Tulare counties, California, and, apparently, including Eunanus angustifolius Greene from Mt. Rose, Nevada) includes relatively small, tufted plants at high elevations with relatively small calyces and relatively small, dark red-purple, strongly bilabiate corollas with prominently exserted stamens. Mimulus densus (mostly in Nevada and in Lassen, Nevada, and Plumas counties, California) includes taller plants at lower elevations with a strong tendency to produce populations with all individuals with larger, yellow, nearly regular corollas with more nearly included stamens. Typical Diplacus mephiticus has moderate-sized plants at medium elevations with magenta, bilabiate corollas. The specific epithet mephiticus alludes to the musky odor of the plants; this has also been noted in plants of Mimulus coccineus and M. densus. Diplacus nanus, in which D. M. Thompson (2005) included D. mephiticus as a variety, apparently does not produce a mephitic odor. Diplacus cusickii also produces a mephitic odor (W. L. Ezell 1971). The later homonym Mimulus angustifolius (Greene) A. L. Grant 1925, not Hochstetter ex Richard 1850, based on Eunanus angustifolius, pertains here. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)	H. E. McMinn (1951), M. C. Tulig and G. L Nesom (2012), and Nesom (2013c) treated Diplacus rutilus at specific rank, but P. A. Munz and D. D. Keck (1973) followed the original assessment of A. L. Grant (1924) in treating it as a variety of the light orange- to pale yellow-orange-flowered D. longiflorus, while R. M. Beeks (1962) and D. M. Thompson (2005) regarded this taxon as only a variant of D. longiflorus, without formal rank. It is maintained here as a distinct, red-flowered species localized in Los Angeles County, California. Diplacus rutilus occurs in pockets in a strip from Whittier and Pomona through North Pasadena westward to near the Ventura County line (the Santa Susana area being the type locality), a distance of almost 60 miles. Very few of these red-flowered collections can be separated in any feature except corolla color from typical Diplacus longiflorus. Red corollas have not been observed in D. longiflorus outside of Los Angeles County, and D. rutilus might be interpreted as reflecting local introgression in this area from D. puniceus, but the distinctive and tightly coherent geographical distribution of these red-flowered plants and their apparent absence elsewhere in the area where D. ×australis occurs suggest that the origin of D. rutilus is different from that of the highly variable D. ×australis. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source	FNA vol. 17, p. 441.	FNA vol. 17, p. 451.
Parent taxa	Phrymaceae > Diplacus	Phrymaceae > Diplacus
Sibling taxa	D. angustatus, D. aridus, D. aurantiacus, D. bicolor, D. bigelovii, D. bolanderi, D. brandegeei, D. brevipes, D. calycinus, D. cascadensis, D. clevelandii, D. clivicola, D. compactus, D. congdonii, D. constrictus, D. cusickii, D. cusickioides, D. deschutesensis, D. douglasii, D. fremontii, D. grandiflorus, D. graniticola, D. jepsonii, D. johnstonii, D. kelloggii, D. layneae, D. leptaleus, D. linearis, D. longiflorus, D. mohavensis, D. nanus, D. ovatus, D. parryi, D. parviflorus, D. pictus, D. pulchellus, D. puniceus, D. pygmaeus, D. rattanii, D. rupicola, D. rutilus, D. thompsonii, D. torreyi, D. traskiae, D. tricolor, D. vandenbergensis, D. viscidus	D. angustatus, D. aridus, D. aurantiacus, D. bicolor, D. bigelovii, D. bolanderi, D. brandegeei, D. brevipes, D. calycinus, D. cascadensis, D. clevelandii, D. clivicola, D. compactus, D. congdonii, D. constrictus, D. cusickii, D. cusickioides, D. deschutesensis, D. douglasii, D. fremontii, D. grandiflorus, D. graniticola, D. jepsonii, D. johnstonii, D. kelloggii, D. layneae, D. leptaleus, D. linearis, D. longiflorus, D. mephiticus, D. mohavensis, D. nanus, D. ovatus, D. parryi, D. parviflorus, D. pictus, D. pulchellus, D. puniceus, D. pygmaeus, D. rattanii, D. rupicola, D. thompsonii, D. torreyi, D. traskiae, D. tricolor, D. vandenbergensis, D. viscidus
Synonyms	Mimulus mephiticus, M. coccineus, M. coccineus var. wolfii, M. densus, M. nanus var. mephiticus, M. reifschneiderae, M. stamineus, M. washoensis, M. wolfii	Mimulus longiflorus var. rutilus, D. longiflorus var. rutilus
Name authority	(Greene) G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 29. (2012)	(A. L. Grant) McMinn: Madroño 11: 83. (1951)
Web links	Local floras: CA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: CA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Diplacus rutilus

foul odor monkeyflower, skunky monkeyflower

Santa Susana bush monkeyflower

Habit

Herbs, annual.

Subshrubs.

Stems

erect, (20–)30–150(–180) mm, glandular-pubescent and viscid-villous.

erect, 300–1000(–2000) mm, glandular-puberulent and short-villous.

Leaves

usually cauline, relatively even-sized;

petiole absent;

blade ovate to oblong or narrowly elliptic to narrowly lanceolate, narrowly oblong, or linear, 10–25 × 1–5 mm, margins entire, plane, not ciliate, apex rounded to obtuse or acute, surfaces usually glandular-pubescent and (at least along veins) viscid-villous.

usually cauline, relatively even-sized;

petiole absent;

blade elliptic to lanceolate, elliptic-lanceolate, or elliptic-oblanceolate, 25–65(–80) × 4–15(–25) mm, margins entire or serrate, revolute, apex acute to obtuse, abaxial surfaces densely hairy, hairs branched, adaxial glabrescent.

Pedicels

1–3 mm in fruit.

5–16 mm in fruit.

Flowers

2 per node, or 1 or 2 per node on 1 plant, chasmogamous.

2 per node, chasmogamous.

Styles

glabrous or sparsely glandular-puberulent.

minutely glandular.

Corollas

of 2 color forms: (a) dark magenta, purplish, or reddish with palate ridges or whole throat floor yellow, red- or purple-dotted, lateral lobes yellowish inside and (b) yellow with red or purple spots on floor, tube-throat 8–12(–15) mm, tube 1.3–1.9 mm diam. at filament insertion, limb 5–12(–15) mm diam., bilabiate.

red to orange-red, throat whitish at least on floor, palate ridges orange or white with orange crest, tube-throat 34–45 mm, limb (25–)28–40 mm diam., bilabiate, lobes oblong, apex of adaxial 2 each shallowly, asymmetrically incised.

Calyces

symmetrically attached to pedicels, slightly inflated in fruit, (3–)4–7(–9) mm, glandular-pubescent and viscid-villous (at least along veins), lobes subequal, apex acute to acuminate, ribs dark green to purplish, intercostal areas whitish.

not inflated in fruit, 22–32 mm, glandular-puberulent and short glandular-villous to hirsute-villous, tube slightly dilated distally, lobes unequal, apex acute, ribs green, intercostal areas light green.

Capsules

5–8 mm.

18–28 mm.

Anthers

exserted, short-hirsute.

included, glabrous.

Stigmas

exserted or at opening of corolla tube-throat, lobes subequal to unequal, abaxial to 2 times adaxial.

included, lobes equal.

Diplacus mephiticus

Diplacus rutilus

Phenology

Flowering (May–)Jun–Aug(–Sep).

Flowering Mar–Jun.

Habitat

Openings in sagebrush, disturbed slopes, granite outcrops, serpentine substrates, gravelly and sandy soils, sandy moraines, pumice flats, gravelly washes, meadows, shadscale and sagebrush communities, pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine woodlands.

Chaparral.

Elevation

1300–3700 m. (4300–12100 ft.)

400–600 m. (1300–2000 ft.)

Distribution

CA; NV

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Diplacus mephiticus occurs in eastern California and west-central Nevada.

Various synonyms treated here are in agreement with D. M. Thompson (2005). Mimulus coccineus (mostly from Eldorado to Tulare counties, California, and, apparently, including Eunanus angustifolius Greene from Mt. Rose, Nevada) includes relatively small, tufted plants at high elevations with relatively small calyces and relatively small, dark red-purple, strongly bilabiate corollas with prominently exserted stamens. Mimulus densus (mostly in Nevada and in Lassen, Nevada, and Plumas counties, California) includes taller plants at lower elevations with a strong tendency to produce populations with all individuals with larger, yellow, nearly regular corollas with more nearly included stamens. Typical Diplacus mephiticus has moderate-sized plants at medium elevations with magenta, bilabiate corollas.

The specific epithet mephiticus alludes to the musky odor of the plants; this has also been noted in plants of Mimulus coccineus and M. densus. Diplacus nanus, in which D. M. Thompson (2005) included D. mephiticus as a variety, apparently does not produce a mephitic odor. Diplacus cusickii also produces a mephitic odor (W. L. Ezell 1971).

The later homonym Mimulus angustifolius (Greene) A. L. Grant 1925, not Hochstetter ex Richard 1850, based on Eunanus angustifolius, pertains here.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

H. E. McMinn (1951), M. C. Tulig and G. L Nesom (2012), and Nesom (2013c) treated Diplacus rutilus at specific rank, but P. A. Munz and D. D. Keck (1973) followed the original assessment of A. L. Grant (1924) in treating it as a variety of the light orange- to pale yellow-orange-flowered D. longiflorus, while R. M. Beeks (1962) and D. M. Thompson (2005) regarded this taxon as only a variant of D. longiflorus, without formal rank. It is maintained here as a distinct, red-flowered species localized in Los Angeles County, California. Diplacus rutilus occurs in pockets in a strip from Whittier and Pomona through North Pasadena westward to near the Ventura County line (the Santa Susana area being the type locality), a distance of almost 60 miles.

Very few of these red-flowered collections can be separated in any feature except corolla color from typical Diplacus longiflorus. Red corollas have not been observed in D. longiflorus outside of Los Angeles County, and D. rutilus might be interpreted as reflecting local introgression in this area from D. puniceus, but the distinctive and tightly coherent geographical distribution of these red-flowered plants and their apparent absence elsewhere in the area where D. ×australis occurs suggest that the origin of D. rutilus is different from that of the highly variable D. ×australis.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source

FNA vol. 17, p. 441.

FNA vol. 17, p. 451.

Parent taxa

Phrymaceae > Diplacus

Sibling taxa

D. angustatus, D. aridus, D. aurantiacus, D. bicolor, D. bigelovii, D. bolanderi, D. brandegeei, D. brevipes, D. calycinus, D. cascadensis, D. clevelandii, D. clivicola, D. compactus, D. congdonii, D. constrictus, D. cusickii, D. cusickioides, D. deschutesensis, D. douglasii, D. fremontii, D. grandiflorus, D. graniticola, D. jepsonii, D. johnstonii, D. kelloggii, D. layneae, D. leptaleus, D. linearis, D. longiflorus, D. mohavensis, D. nanus, D. ovatus, D. parryi, D. parviflorus, D. pictus, D. pulchellus, D. puniceus, D. pygmaeus, D. rattanii, D. rupicola, D. rutilus, D. thompsonii, D. torreyi, D. traskiae, D. tricolor, D. vandenbergensis, D. viscidus

D. angustatus, D. aridus, D. aurantiacus, D. bicolor, D. bigelovii, D. bolanderi, D. brandegeei, D. brevipes, D. calycinus, D. cascadensis, D. clevelandii, D. clivicola, D. compactus, D. congdonii, D. constrictus, D. cusickii, D. cusickioides, D. deschutesensis, D. douglasii, D. fremontii, D. grandiflorus, D. graniticola, D. jepsonii, D. johnstonii, D. kelloggii, D. layneae, D. leptaleus, D. linearis, D. longiflorus, D. mephiticus, D. mohavensis, D. nanus, D. ovatus, D. parryi, D. parviflorus, D. pictus, D. pulchellus, D. puniceus, D. pygmaeus, D. rattanii, D. rupicola, D. thompsonii, D. torreyi, D. traskiae, D. tricolor, D. vandenbergensis, D. viscidus

Synonyms

Mimulus mephiticus, M. coccineus, M. coccineus var. wolfii, M. densus, M. nanus var. mephiticus, M. reifschneiderae, M. stamineus, M. washoensis, M. wolfii

Mimulus longiflorus var. rutilus, D. longiflorus var. rutilus

Name authority

(Greene) G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 29. (2012)

(A. L. Grant) McMinn: Madroño 11: 83. (1951)

Web links

Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).

Choose a data source: Flora of North America

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Diplacus mephiticus

Diplacus rutilus

Diplacus mephiticus

Diplacus rutilus