FNA: Erythranthe breviflora vs. Erythranthe willisii

	Erythranthe breviflora	Erythranthe willisii
	short-flower monkey-flower	Willis' monkeyflower
Habit	Annuals, shallowly fibrous-rooted.	Perennials, rhizomatous, rarely rooting at proximal nodes, usually forming large colonies, rhizomes white, usually highly branching.
Stems	ascending, geniculate at nodes, branched at proximal and medial nodes, 4–15 cm, minutely stipitate-glandular, hairs 0.1–0.3 mm, gland-tipped, sometimes minutely hirtellous, hairs sharp-pointed, eglandular.	usually sprawling-decumbent, branched, sometimes simple, 7–45 cm, nodes (2–)4–15+, densely glandular-villous, hairs 1–2 mm, glandular, internodes evident.
Leaves	usually cauline, basal usually deciduous by flowering; petiole 1–3 mm; blade palmately 3-veined, narrowly ovate or narrowly lanceolate to elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, largest 5–15 × 2–6 mm, relatively even-sized, or slightly reduced distally, base attenuate, margins entire, mucronulate, or denticulate, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces minutely stipitate-glandular, hairs 0.1–0.3 mm, gland-tipped, sometimes minutely hirtellous, hairs sharp-pointed, eglandular.	usually cauline, basal not persistent, distinctly separated; petiole 0 mm, sometimes 1–2 mm at proximal nodes; blade bicolored, purplish abaxially, pinnately veined, ovate to elliptic-ovate, midcauline 10–35 × 6–18 mm, base rounded to subcordate, margins coarsely serrate-dentate to denticulate or subentire, apex short-attenuate to acute, obtuse, or rounded, surfaces densely glandular-villous, hairs 1–2 mm, gland-tipped.
Flowers	plesiogamous, 10–20, from medial to distal nodes.	herkogamous, (4–)8–30+, from medial to distal nodes, sometimes from all nodes.
Styles	glabrous.	glabrous.
Corollas	yellow, red-spotted or striped, bilaterally symmetric, weakly bilabiate; tube-throat cylindric to narrowly funnelform, 3.5–5 mm, not exserted beyond calyx margin; limb barely widened, lobes broadly obovate, apex rounded.	yellow, throat, tube, and proximal portion of abaxial 3 lobes with fine, red to brownish lines, weakly bilaterally or nearly radially symmetric, weakly bilabiate or nearly regular; tube-throat narrowly funnelform, 12–15 mm, exserted beyond calyx margin; limb 9–12 mm wide (pressed), lobes oblong-obovate, apex rounded to notched.
Fruiting pedicels	straight, 5–11 mm, minutely stipitate-glandular, hairs 0.1–0.3 mm, gland-tipped, sometimes minutely hirtellous, hairs sharp-pointed, eglandular.	4–20(–25) mm, densely glandular-villous, hairs 1–2 mm, gland-tipped.
Fruiting calyces	winged, plicate-angled, campanulate becoming ovoid-ellipsoid to campanulate, distinctly inflated, 5–6 mm, margins distinctly toothed or lobed, sparsely, minutely hirtellous, eglandular, sometimes sparsely sessile-glandular, lobes pronounced, erect.	ridge- to wing-angled, campanulate to cylindric-campanulate, weakly inflated, 7–10 mm, densely glandular-villous, lobes erect to slightly spreading, unequal, triangular to linear-lanceolate, 2–4 mm, apex acuminate-apiculate.
Capsules	included, 4–6 mm.	included, 4–5 mm.
Anthers	included, glabrous.	included, glabrous or finely hirtellous to scabrous.

	Erythranthe breviflora	Erythranthe willisii
Phenology	Flowering May–Jul.	Flowering May–Sep.
Habitat	Stream and lake sides, gravel bars, springs, moist slopes, damp swales between dunes, along trails.	Seepage, drainage margins, moist soils, talus, cracks and crevices, soils deprived from serpentine.
Elevation	700–2300 m. (2300–7500 ft.)	(500–)700–900 m. ((1600–)2300–3000 ft.)
Distribution	CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; WA; BC [WildflowerSearch map]	CA
Discussion		Erythranthe willisii is narrowly endemic over serpentine along the North Fork Feather River (including the North Branch) in Plumas County. In the original description, its range was said to include serpentine localities in closely adjacent areas of east-central Butte, Plumas, and northwestern Yuba counties, but subsequent field work has shown that these peripheral populations are E. moschata, and that E. willisii occurs only in the bottom of the Serpentine Canyon area. The most consistent and recognizable features of E. willisii are the long, sprawling stems often spread over a large area, sometimes reaching at least 45 cm and often with many crowded nodes, sessile or subsessile leaves with rounded to subcordate bases, and short pedicels, characteristically no longer than the subtending leaves (except sometimes the distal ones where subtending leaves are distinctly reduced in size). It is possible that stem growth in E. willisii is indeterminate versus determinate in E. moschata. Sessile to subsessile leaves occur in E. moschata, especially in the California Sierra Nevada, but petiole length and leaf base shape are variable within populations; lack of petioles and a rounded/subcordate base are fixed characters in E. willisii (as they are also in E. ptilota). Although large colonies of E. moschata are sometimes encountered, the individual plants tend to be erect (in California) and with few distal flowers. In the field, the dense vestiture of E. willisii is a prominent feature, but this is harder to distinguish in pressed specimens, and there is a strong tendency for purple abaxial leaf coloration in E. willisii. Phenology and flower morphology of E. willisii and E. moschata appear to be similar, but E. moschata in north-central California does not occur at as low elevations as E. willisii. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source	FNA vol. 17, p. 399.	FNA vol. 17, p. 401.
Parent taxa	Phrymaceae > Erythranthe	Phrymaceae > Erythranthe
Sibling taxa	E. acutidens, E. alsinoides, E. ampliata, E. androsacea, E. arenaria, E. arenicola, E. arvensis, E. barbata, E. bicolor, E. brachystylis, E. breweri, E. caespitosa, E. calcicola, E. calciphila, E. cardinalis, E. carsonensis, E. charlestonensis, E. chinatiensis, E. cinnabarina, E. corallina, E. cordata, E. decora, E. dentata, E. diffusa, E. discolor, E. eastwoodiae, E. erubescens, E. exigua, E. filicaulis, E. filicifolia, E. floribunda, E. gemmipara, E. geniculata, E. geyeri, E. glaucescens, E. gracilipes, E. grandis, E. grayi, E. guttata, E. hallii, E. hardhamiae, E. hymenophylla, E. inamoena, E. inconspicua, E. inflatula, E. jungermannioides, E. laciniata, E. latidens, E. lewisii, E. linearifolia, E. marmorata, E. michiganensis, E. microphylla, E. minor, E. montioides, E. moschata, E. nasuta, E. norrisii, E. nudata, E. palmeri, E. pardalis, E. parishii, E. parvula, E. patula, E. percaulis, E. primuloides, E. ptilota, E. pulsiferae, E. purpurea, E. regni, E. rhodopetra, E. rubella, E. scouleri, E. shevockii, E. sierrae, E. suksdorfii, E. taylorii, E. thermalis, E. tilingii, E. trinitiensis, E. unimaculata, E. utahensis, E. verbenacea, E. washingtonensis, E. willisii	E. acutidens, E. alsinoides, E. ampliata, E. androsacea, E. arenaria, E. arenicola, E. arvensis, E. barbata, E. bicolor, E. brachystylis, E. breviflora, E. breweri, E. caespitosa, E. calcicola, E. calciphila, E. cardinalis, E. carsonensis, E. charlestonensis, E. chinatiensis, E. cinnabarina, E. corallina, E. cordata, E. decora, E. dentata, E. diffusa, E. discolor, E. eastwoodiae, E. erubescens, E. exigua, E. filicaulis, E. filicifolia, E. floribunda, E. gemmipara, E. geniculata, E. geyeri, E. glaucescens, E. gracilipes, E. grandis, E. grayi, E. guttata, E. hallii, E. hardhamiae, E. hymenophylla, E. inamoena, E. inconspicua, E. inflatula, E. jungermannioides, E. laciniata, E. latidens, E. lewisii, E. linearifolia, E. marmorata, E. michiganensis, E. microphylla, E. minor, E. montioides, E. moschata, E. nasuta, E. norrisii, E. nudata, E. palmeri, E. pardalis, E. parishii, E. parvula, E. patula, E. percaulis, E. primuloides, E. ptilota, E. pulsiferae, E. purpurea, E. regni, E. rhodopetra, E. rubella, E. scouleri, E. shevockii, E. sierrae, E. suksdorfii, E. taylorii, E. thermalis, E. tilingii, E. trinitiensis, E. unimaculata, E. utahensis, E. verbenacea, E. washingtonensis
Synonyms	Mimulus breviflorus
Name authority	(Piper) G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 38. (2012)	G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2017-17: 7, figs. 14–22. (2017)
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Erythranthe willisii

short-flower monkey-flower

Willis' monkeyflower

Habit

Annuals, shallowly fibrous-rooted.

Perennials, rhizomatous, rarely rooting at proximal nodes, usually forming large colonies, rhizomes white, usually highly branching.

Stems

ascending, geniculate at nodes, branched at proximal and medial nodes, 4–15 cm, minutely stipitate-glandular, hairs 0.1–0.3 mm, gland-tipped, sometimes minutely hirtellous, hairs sharp-pointed, eglandular.

usually sprawling-decumbent, branched, sometimes simple, 7–45 cm, nodes (2–)4–15+, densely glandular-villous, hairs 1–2 mm, glandular, internodes evident.

Leaves

usually cauline, basal usually deciduous by flowering;

petiole 1–3 mm;

blade palmately 3-veined, narrowly ovate or narrowly lanceolate to elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, largest 5–15 × 2–6 mm, relatively even-sized, or slightly reduced distally, base attenuate, margins entire, mucronulate, or denticulate, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces minutely stipitate-glandular, hairs 0.1–0.3 mm, gland-tipped, sometimes minutely hirtellous, hairs sharp-pointed, eglandular.

usually cauline, basal not persistent, distinctly separated;

petiole 0 mm, sometimes 1–2 mm at proximal nodes;

blade bicolored, purplish abaxially, pinnately veined, ovate to elliptic-ovate, midcauline 10–35 × 6–18 mm, base rounded to subcordate, margins coarsely serrate-dentate to denticulate or subentire, apex short-attenuate to acute, obtuse, or rounded, surfaces densely glandular-villous, hairs 1–2 mm, gland-tipped.

Flowers

plesiogamous, 10–20, from medial to distal nodes.

herkogamous, (4–)8–30+, from medial to distal nodes, sometimes from all nodes.

Styles

glabrous.

Corollas

yellow, red-spotted or striped, bilaterally symmetric, weakly bilabiate;

tube-throat cylindric to narrowly funnelform, 3.5–5 mm, not exserted beyond calyx margin;

limb barely widened, lobes broadly obovate, apex rounded.

yellow, throat, tube, and proximal portion of abaxial 3 lobes with fine, red to brownish lines, weakly bilaterally or nearly radially symmetric, weakly bilabiate or nearly regular;

tube-throat narrowly funnelform, 12–15 mm, exserted beyond calyx margin;

limb 9–12 mm wide (pressed), lobes oblong-obovate, apex rounded to notched.

Fruiting pedicels

straight, 5–11 mm, minutely stipitate-glandular, hairs 0.1–0.3 mm, gland-tipped, sometimes minutely hirtellous, hairs sharp-pointed, eglandular.

4–20(–25) mm, densely glandular-villous, hairs 1–2 mm, gland-tipped.

Fruiting calyces

winged, plicate-angled, campanulate becoming ovoid-ellipsoid to campanulate, distinctly inflated, 5–6 mm, margins distinctly toothed or lobed, sparsely, minutely hirtellous, eglandular, sometimes sparsely sessile-glandular, lobes pronounced, erect.

ridge- to wing-angled, campanulate to cylindric-campanulate, weakly inflated, 7–10 mm, densely glandular-villous, lobes erect to slightly spreading, unequal, triangular to linear-lanceolate, 2–4 mm, apex acuminate-apiculate.

Capsules

included, 4–6 mm.

included, 4–5 mm.

Anthers

included, glabrous.

included, glabrous or finely hirtellous to scabrous.

Erythranthe breviflora

Erythranthe willisii

Phenology

Flowering May–Jul.

Flowering May–Sep.

Habitat

Stream and lake sides, gravel bars, springs, moist slopes, damp swales between dunes, along trails.

Seepage, drainage margins, moist soils, talus, cracks and crevices, soils deprived from serpentine.

Elevation

700–2300 m. (2300–7500 ft.)

(500–)700–900 m. ((1600–)2300–3000 ft.)

Distribution

CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; WA; BC

[WildflowerSearch map]

Discussion

Erythranthe willisii is narrowly endemic over serpentine along the North Fork Feather River (including the North Branch) in Plumas County. In the original description, its range was said to include serpentine localities in closely adjacent areas of east-central Butte, Plumas, and northwestern Yuba counties, but subsequent field work has shown that these peripheral populations are E. moschata, and that E. willisii occurs only in the bottom of the Serpentine Canyon area. The most consistent and recognizable features of E. willisii are the long, sprawling stems often spread over a large area, sometimes reaching at least 45 cm and often with many crowded nodes, sessile or subsessile leaves with rounded to subcordate bases, and short pedicels, characteristically no longer than the subtending leaves (except sometimes the distal ones where subtending leaves are distinctly reduced in size). It is possible that stem growth in E. willisii is indeterminate versus determinate in E. moschata. Sessile to subsessile leaves occur in E. moschata, especially in the California Sierra Nevada, but petiole length and leaf base shape are variable within populations; lack of petioles and a rounded/subcordate base are fixed characters in E. willisii (as they are also in E. ptilota). Although large colonies of E. moschata are sometimes encountered, the individual plants tend to be erect (in California) and with few distal flowers. In the field, the dense vestiture of E. willisii is a prominent feature, but this is harder to distinguish in pressed specimens, and there is a strong tendency for purple abaxial leaf coloration in E. willisii. Phenology and flower morphology of E. willisii and E. moschata appear to be similar, but E. moschata in north-central California does not occur at as low elevations as E. willisii.

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

Source

FNA vol. 17, p. 399.

FNA vol. 17, p. 401.

Parent taxa

Phrymaceae > Erythranthe

Sibling taxa

E. acutidens, E. alsinoides, E. ampliata, E. androsacea, E. arenaria, E. arenicola, E. arvensis, E. barbata, E. bicolor, E. brachystylis, E. breweri, E. caespitosa, E. calcicola, E. calciphila, E. cardinalis, E. carsonensis, E. charlestonensis, E. chinatiensis, E. cinnabarina, E. corallina, E. cordata, E. decora, E. dentata, E. diffusa, E. discolor, E. eastwoodiae, E. erubescens, E. exigua, E. filicaulis, E. filicifolia, E. floribunda, E. gemmipara, E. geniculata, E. geyeri, E. glaucescens, E. gracilipes, E. grandis, E. grayi, E. guttata, E. hallii, E. hardhamiae, E. hymenophylla, E. inamoena, E. inconspicua, E. inflatula, E. jungermannioides, E. laciniata, E. latidens, E. lewisii, E. linearifolia, E. marmorata, E. michiganensis, E. microphylla, E. minor, E. montioides, E. moschata, E. nasuta, E. norrisii, E. nudata, E. palmeri, E. pardalis, E. parishii, E. parvula, E. patula, E. percaulis, E. primuloides, E. ptilota, E. pulsiferae, E. purpurea, E. regni, E. rhodopetra, E. rubella, E. scouleri, E. shevockii, E. sierrae, E. suksdorfii, E. taylorii, E. thermalis, E. tilingii, E. trinitiensis, E. unimaculata, E. utahensis, E. verbenacea, E. washingtonensis, E. willisii

E. acutidens, E. alsinoides, E. ampliata, E. androsacea, E. arenaria, E. arenicola, E. arvensis, E. barbata, E. bicolor, E. brachystylis, E. breviflora, E. breweri, E. caespitosa, E. calcicola, E. calciphila, E. cardinalis, E. carsonensis, E. charlestonensis, E. chinatiensis, E. cinnabarina, E. corallina, E. cordata, E. decora, E. dentata, E. diffusa, E. discolor, E. eastwoodiae, E. erubescens, E. exigua, E. filicaulis, E. filicifolia, E. floribunda, E. gemmipara, E. geniculata, E. geyeri, E. glaucescens, E. gracilipes, E. grandis, E. grayi, E. guttata, E. hallii, E. hardhamiae, E. hymenophylla, E. inamoena, E. inconspicua, E. inflatula, E. jungermannioides, E. laciniata, E. latidens, E. lewisii, E. linearifolia, E. marmorata, E. michiganensis, E. microphylla, E. minor, E. montioides, E. moschata, E. nasuta, E. norrisii, E. nudata, E. palmeri, E. pardalis, E. parishii, E. parvula, E. patula, E. percaulis, E. primuloides, E. ptilota, E. pulsiferae, E. purpurea, E. regni, E. rhodopetra, E. rubella, E. scouleri, E. shevockii, E. sierrae, E. suksdorfii, E. taylorii, E. thermalis, E. tilingii, E. trinitiensis, E. unimaculata, E. utahensis, E. verbenacea, E. washingtonensis

Synonyms

Mimulus breviflorus

Name authority

(Piper) G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 38. (2012)

G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2017-17: 7, figs. 14–22. (2017)

Web links

Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA
Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
LBJ Wildflower Center
SEINet
Plants of the World Online
Encyclopedia of Life
Wikipedia
Google Image Search

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, OregonFlora, UW Burke Herbarium

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Erythranthe breviflora

Erythranthe willisii

Erythranthe breviflora

Erythranthe willisii