The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

cardinal monkey flower, scarlet monkey-flower

Habit Perennials, rhizomatous.
Stems

usually erect to ascending, freely branched, 25–75 cm, ± glandular-villous or glabrate.

Leaves

usually cauline;

petiole 0 mm;

blade palmately veined, elliptic-ovate to ovate or obovate, 20–90(–110) × 10–38(–60) mm, thick, base acuminate, subclasping, margins irregularly serrate to dentate, apex acute, surfaces ± glandular-villous to glabrate.

Flowers

herkogamous, 2–12, axillary at leafy medial to distal nodes.

Styles

glabrous.

Corollas

scarlet to orange-red, rarely yellow, throat yellowish, red-striped, palate red, yellow-villous, not spotted or striped, bilaterally symmetric, strongly bilabiate;

tube-throat funnelform, (15–)20–30 mm, exserted beyond calyx margin;

throat open.

Fruiting pedicels

30–90(–120) mm.

Fruiting calyces

cylindric to cylindric-campanulate, not inflated, 17–28(–30) mm, hispid-hirsute to hirsute, lobes 4–7 mm, ovate to ovate-deltate, apex attenuate-acute.

Capsules

included, 10–16 mm.

Anthers

exserted, white-villous, thecae spreading.

2n

= 16.

Erythranthe cardinalis

Phenology Flowering May–Sep.
Habitat Moist to wet places along streams, lakes, creek beds, canyon, arroyo, and ravine bottoms, around springs and seepage areas, flood plains, moist clearings and woods edges.
Elevation (5–)50–2300(–2800) m. ((0–)200–7500(–9200) ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV; OR; WA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Yellow-flowered populations of Erythranthe cardinalis occur on Cedros Island, Baja California, and in the Siskiyou Mountains of Oregon (R. K. Vickery 1992). They have been documented also on Santa Cruz Island, California.

Populations of Erythranthe cardinalis in King and Yakima counties, Washington, are introduced and naturalized.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 393.
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. breviflora, E. breweri, E. caespitosa, E. calcicola, E. calciphila, 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
Synonyms Mimulus cardinalis, M. cardinalis var. exsul, M. cardinalis var. griseus, M. cardinalis var. rigens
Name authority (Douglas ex Bentham) Spach: Hist. Nat. Vég. 9: 313. (1840)
Web links