Flora of North America species comparison

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Erythranthe caespitosa

Erythranthe palmeri

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

Palmer's 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, 4–17 cm, minutely puberulent.
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 mm;

blade pinnately veined, palmately 3-veined (in broader ones), linear to oblanceolate, (3–)4–17 × 1–4 mm, base attenuate, margins entire, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces minutely puberulent.
Flowers

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

herkogamous, 1–36, 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.

pink to purple, abaxial limb with 2 yellow ridges, bilaterally symmetric, strongly bilabiate;

tube-throat funnelform, 6–15 mm, exserted beyond calyx margin;

limb expanded 8–15 mm, lobes deeply notched, abaxial limb sparsely bearded.
Fruiting pedicels

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

spreading horizontally, 5–33 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-spotted on ribs, becoming straw colored, cylindric, 4–8 mm, margins distinctly toothed or lobed, glabrous, ribs weak, lobes pronounced, erect, margins ciliate.
Capsules

included, 4–5 mm.

included, 4–8 mm.
Anthers

included, glabrous.

included, glabrous.

Erythranthe caespitosa

Erythranthe palmeri
Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Alpine meadows and slopes, stream banks, wet rocks in streams, wet crevices, talus. Moist areas in openings in pine forest and desert chaparral transitions.
Elevation 1100–2000(–2300) m. (3600–6600(–7500) ft.) 900–2200 m. (3000–7200 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 palmeri has been confused with other closely related species, including E. diffusa, E. discolor (pink form), E. rhodopetra, and E. sierrae. It was previously thought to be a widely distributed species because of this taxonomic confusion but now is regarded as endemic to the Transverse Range in the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 409. FNA vol. 17, p. 387.
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. 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. 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 palmeri
Name authority (Greene) G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 43. (2012) (A. Gray) 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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