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

little purple monkeyflower, purple 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, 3–10 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 palmately 3–5-veined, elliptic to lanceolate, 4–15 × 1–5 mm, base truncate to truncate-cordate, clasping, margins entire, sometimes toothed, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces minutely puberulent.

Flowers

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

herkogamous, 1–22, 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, adaxial limb darker than abaxial, abaxial limb with yellow markings, bilaterally symmetric, strongly bilabiate;

tube-throat cylindric to funnelform, 7–13 mm, exserted beyond calyx margin;

limb expanded 7–10 mm, bilabiate, 3 abaxial lobes notched, 2 adaxial nearly entire, abaxial limb sparsely bearded.

Fruiting pedicels

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

ascending to often spreading horizontally, 13–57(–70) 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.

becoming reddish, campanulate, 3–8 mm, margins distinctly toothed or lobed, minutely puberulent, ribs thickened, lobes pronounced, erect, margins glabrous.

Capsules

included, 4–5 mm.

included, 3–8 mm.

Anthers

included, glabrous.

included, glabrous.

Erythranthe caespitosa

Erythranthe purpurea

Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep. Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Alpine meadows and slopes, stream banks, wet rocks in streams, wet crevices, talus. Moist openings along streams, swales, and depressions, pine duff in yellow pine forests, margins of dry meadows.
Elevation 1100–2000(–2300) m. (3600–6600(–7500) ft.) 1900–2800 m. (6200–9200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[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 purpurea is restricted to the San Bernardino Mountains in San Bernardino County and is disjunct in the Sierra San Pedro Mártir in Baja California, Mexico.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 409. FNA vol. 17, p. 388.
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. palmeri, E. pardalis, E. parishii, E. parvula, E. patula, E. percaulis, E. primuloides, E. ptilota, E. pulsiferae, 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 purpureus, M. purpureus var. pauxillus
Name authority (Greene) G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 43. (2012) (A. L. Grant) N. S. Fraga: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 35. (2012)
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