Flora of North America species comparison

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Diplacus mephiticus

Diplacus viscidus

foul odor monkeyflower, skunky monkeyflower

sticky monkeyflower, viscid monkeyflower
Habit Herbs, annual. Herbs, annual.
Stems

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

erect, (30–)60–370 mm, densely glandular-pubescent with viscid hairs.
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 or largest proximally and gradually reduced distally;

petiole absent;

blade obovate to narrowly elliptic, (4–)8–54(–70) × (2–)3–23 mm, margins entire or serrate, plane, apex obtuse to rounded, surfaces: proximals glabrous abaxially, distals glandular-pubescent.
Pedicels

1–3 mm in fruit.

1–4(–5) mm in fruit.
Flowers

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

1 per node, chasmogamous.
Styles

glabrous or sparsely glandular-puberulent.

glandular-puberulent.
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.

lavender to magenta with diffuse dark markings on sides of darker tube-throat and with dark red-purple midveins on lobes extending from throat, lobes not dark at base, floor white or yellow, fading to white at mouth, palate ridges white or yellow fading to white distally, throat ceiling glabrous, tube-throat 10–20 mm, limb 8–20 mm diam., not bilabiate.
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.

symmetrically attached to pedicels, inflated in fruit, (7–)8–15 mm, villous, hairs eglandular, lobes subequal, apex acute to attenuate, ribs and intercostal areas often reddish.
Capsules

5–8 mm.

7–11 mm.
Anthers

exserted, short-hirsute.

included, ciliate.
Stigmas

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

included, lobes unequal, abaxial 1.5 times adaxial.
2n

= 16.

Diplacus mephiticus

Diplacus viscidus
Phenology Flowering (May–)Jun–Aug(–Sep). Flowering Apr–Jul.
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 clearings and openings.
Elevation 1300–3700 m. (4300–12100 ft.) 90–1300 m. (300–4300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CA
[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.)

D. M. Thompson (2005) noted that Diplacus viscidus and D. compactus (as Mimulus viscidus var. compactus) are parapatric and may intergrade in central Mariposa County. The two taxa are distinguished by the presence or absence of dark stripes on the corolla lobe midveins, which are evident even on herbarium specimens. Thompson found that the two remained distinct when grown together in the greenhouse.

Diplacus viscidus is known from Amador, Calaveras, Eldorado, Mariposa, Merced, and Tuolumne counties; D. compactus continues south through Fresno, northern Kern, Madera, Mariposa, and Tulare counties.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 441. FNA vol. 17, p. 432.
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. rutilus, D. thompsonii, D. torreyi, D. traskiae, D. tricolor, D. vandenbergensis
Synonyms Mimulus mephiticus, M. coccineus, M. coccineus var. wolfii, M. densus, M. nanus var. mephiticus, M. reifschneiderae, M. stamineus, M. washoensis, M. wolfii Mimulus viscidus, M. fremontii var. viscidus, M. subsecundus var. viscidus
Name authority (Greene) G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 29. (2012) (Congdon) G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 29. (2012)
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).



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