Flora of North America species comparison

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Erythranthe caespitosa

Erythranthe discolor

large mountain monkey-flower, mountain monkeyflower, Olympic monkeyflower, subalpine monkeyflower

party-color monkeyflower, two-color monkeyflower
Habit Perennials, rhizomatous, rooting at proximal nodes, sometimes producing creeping, small-leaved runners, forming matted colonies, rhizomes filiform. Annuals, taprooted.
Stems

procumbent or decumbent to decumbent-ascending, delicate, usually in masses, terete or flattish, branched, 3–10 cm, glabrous, minutely hirtellous, or stipitate-glandular.

erect, simple or branched from basal nodes, 5–12 cm, sparsely glandular-pubescent, internodes elongate, distinct.
Leaves

basal and cauline;

petiole: proximals 2–5 mm, distals 0 mm;

blade often purple beneath, palmately 3-veined, orbicular to narrowly elliptic or ovate, proximals usually sublyrate, 3–12 mm, becoming larger distally, base cuneate to a short petiole, margins entire, mucronulate, or barely denticulate, apex obtuse, surfaces sparsely to moderately puberulent, hairs minute, stipitate-glandular.

cauline, basal not persistent;

petiole 0–2 mm;

blade 1-veined or palmately 3-veined (in broader ones), linear to lanceolate or ovate, 5–15 × 1–4 mm, base attenuate, margins entire, apex acute, surfaces sparsely glandular-pubescent.
Flowers

herkogamous, 1–3, from distal nodes, commonly solitary.

herkogamous, 1–8, from distal or medial to distal nodes.
Styles

minutely hirtellous.

glabrous.
Corollas

yellow, dark red-spotted, bilaterally symmetric, bilabiate;

tube-throat broadly funnelform to cylindric-funnelform, 15–18 mm, exserted beyond calyx margin;

abaxial limb with deflexed-spreading lobes, adaxial with ascending lobes, palate partially closed.

yellow and tube-throat adaxial surface red-tinged, abaxial limb red-spotted or deep pink to purple and abaxial limb with 2 yellow ridges, bilaterally symmetric, strongly bilabiate;

tube-throat funnelform, 9–13 mm, exserted beyond calyx margin;

limb expanded 7–15 mm, lobes notched, adaxial limb glabrous or sparsely bearded.
Fruiting pedicels

10–30(–40) mm, sparsely to moderately villous, hairs short, gland-tipped, sometimes hirtellous.

erect to ascending, 6–11(–32) mm.
Fruiting calyces

broadly campanulate, inflated, sagittally compressed, 7–15 mm, glabrous, minutely hirtellous, or stipitate-glandular, throat closing, proximalmost lobe pair upcurving, distalmost 3–5 mm, prominently protruding.

sometimes red-dotted on ribs, campanulate, 4–8 mm, margins distinctly toothed or lobed, sparsely glandular-pubescent, ribs weak, lobes pronounced, erect, margins glabrous.
Capsules

included, 4–5 mm.

included, 5–8 mm.
Anthers

included, glabrous.

included, glabrous.

Erythranthe caespitosa

Erythranthe discolor
Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep. Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Alpine meadows and slopes, stream banks, wet rocks in streams, wet crevices, talus. Moist open areas on gentle slopes in desert chaparral and pine transition areas.
Elevation 1100–2000(–2300) m. (3600–6600(–7500) ft.) 1400–2700 m. (4600–8900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Erythranthe caespitosa is endemic to northwestern and central Washington (Cascade and Olympic mountains) and adjacent British Columbia (Cascades, Selkirk Mountains and Chilliwack Valley, Coast Mountains). The plants have consistently small leaves with subentire margins, and the stems are consistently procumbent to decumbent-ascending, usually forming matted colonies. Erythranthe caespitosa and E. tilingii appear to be sympatric in counties of northwestern Washington, but this needs to be verified in the field.

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

Erythranthe discolor has two distinctive floral morphs; one is yellow with red spots on the palate, the other is pink with two yellow ridges on the palate. Populations can be monomorphic (usually yellow) or mixed, with the yellow morph most often in higher frequency.

Erythranthe discolor was placed previously in synonymy with E. montioides, and the pink form of E. discolor has commonly been confused with E. palmeri. Erythranthe discolor is known to hybridize with E. barbata and is restricted to Kern and Tulare counties in the southern Sierra Nevada.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 409. FNA vol. 17, p. 386.
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. breviflora, E. breweri, 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. 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
Synonyms Mimulus scouleri var. caespitosus, M. caespitosus, M. tilingii var. caespitosus Mimulus discolor
Name authority (Greene) G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 43. (2012) (A. L. Grant) N. S. Fraga: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 35. (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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