Flora of North America species comparison

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

Erythranthe cordata

Erythranthe moschata

tinytooter monkeyflower

mimule musqué, musk monkeyflower, musk-flower, musk-plant, sticky monkey-flower
Habit Annuals, fibrous-rooted, sometimes producing leafy runners from basal nodes, stems often rooting at proximal nodes and appearing rhizomelike. Perennials, rhizomatous, rooting at proximal nodes.
Stems

usually erect, usually simple, usually fistulose, 12–40(–100) cm, sparsely stipitate-glandular, hairs fine, gland-tipped.

erect, sometimes ascending to decumbent, simple or branched, (2–)5–20 cm, nodes 2–4(or 5), glabrate to glandular-villous, hairs 0.5–2 mm, gland-tipped, internodes evident.
Leaves

basal and cauline, basal persistent;

petiole: basal and proximals 6–20(–40) mm, midcauline to distals 0 mm;

blade not connate, palmately 3–5(–7)-veined, orbicular to broadly elliptic-ovate or oblong-elliptic, cauline becoming broadly ovate to narrowly reniform, basal and mid cauline 15–30(–50) mm, gradually reduced in size distally to 6 mm, basal largest, distal closely paired, auriculate-subclasping, base cuneate to truncate or shallowly cordate, margins shallowly, evenly to unevenly dentate, apex obtuse to rounded, surfaces glabrous.

usually cauline, basal not persistent, distinctly separated;

petiole 0 mm or (0.5–)1–5(–10) mm;

blade pinnately veined, oblong-ovate to ovate, (10–)15–40(–50) × 5–25 mm, base obtuse-cuneate to truncate, rounded or subcordate, subclasping to sessile, margins coarsely serrate-dentate to denticulate or subentire, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces glabrate to glandular-villous.
Flowers

plesiogamous, (5–)10–16, at distal nodes, in bracteate racemes, chasmogamous or cleistogamous.

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

glabrous.

glabrous.
Corollas

yellow, red-spotted, abaxial limb deeper yellow, weakly bilaterally or radially symmetric, weakly bilabiate or regular;

tube-throat sometimes tubular and not opening (cleistogamous), 8–14 mm, exserted 1–3 mm beyond calyx margin;

limb not expanded or expanded 9–14 mm.

yellow, throat with fine red to blackish or brown lines extending onto lobes, red to brown dots in throat and lobes present or absent, bilaterally or nearly radially symmetric, bilabiate or nearly regular;

tube-throat narrowly funnelform, 11–18 mm, exserted beyond calyx margin;

lobes oblong-obovate, apex rounded to notched.
Fruiting pedicels

10–30(–45) mm, longer than subtending leaves, minutely stipitate-glandular.

(7–)10–25 mm, glabrate to glandular-villous.
Fruiting calyces

nodding 45–90º, not red-dotted, broadly elliptic-ovoid, inflated, sagittally compressed, (8–)14–18(–20) mm, glabrous or sparsely stipitate-glandular to hirsutulous, sometimes mixed glandular-hirsutulous, throat closing, adaxial lobe not distinctly longer than abaxial, not falcate.

ridge- to wing-angled, campanulate to cylindric-campanulate, weakly or not inflated, 6–13 mm, villous to glandular-villous, lobes erect to spreading-recurving, strongly unequal to subequal, triangular to linear-lanceolate or narrowly triangular-acuminate, 2–4 mm, apex acute to obtuse.
Capsules

included, stipitate, 5–7 mm.

included, 6–8 mm.
Anthers

included, glabrous.

included, glabrous or slightly hirtellous to scabrous.
2n

= 60.

= 32.

Erythranthe cordata

Erythranthe moschata
Phenology Flowering (Jan–)Mar–Jun(–Nov). Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Springs, seeps, stream edges, muddy banks, flood plains, marshes and swamps, wash bottoms, wet depressions, wet places among boulders. Springs and seeps, creek edges, moist meadows, ditches, along trails, roadsides, rocky ridges, granite outcrops, shaded and wet places in sagebrush, aspen, fir, spruce-fir, lodgepole pine forests, meadows.
Elevation (600–)800–2400(–3000) m. ((2000–)2600–7900(–9800) ft.) (300–)400–3100 m. ((1000–)1300–10200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NM; NV; TX; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CA; CO; CT; ID; MA; ME; MI; MT; NH; NJ; NV; NY; OR; PA; RI; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; BC; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SPM [Introduced in South America (Chile), Europe, e Asia (Japan), Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Erythranthe cordata is characterized by its fibrous-rooted habit (annual in duration, without rhizomes but commonly rooting at the proximal nodes), short corollas and autogamous reproduction (anthers and stigma at the same level), closed calyces, sparsely villous-glandular vestiture (lacking hirtellous, eglandular hairs), and stems commonly fistulose in larger plants. The short corollas and other features of autogamous reproduction of E. cordata are diagnostic and prominent. Plants of E. cordata are highly variable in size, from tiny fibrous-rooted plants with nearly filiform stems to much larger individuals with fistulose stems rooting at proximal nodes.

Erythranthe cordata and E. nasuta are sympatric in Arizona, southeastern New Mexico, and southern Utah, and small plants of each species may be similar in aspect, both with cleistogamous flowers and reduced vestiture. Erythranthe nasuta can be recognized by its distal and bracteal leaves with hirtellous to hirsutulous adaxial surfaces; a 10/x lens usually is required to see this feature, and it sometimes is most obvious around the leaf margins.

The common name of Erythranthe cordata alludes to a fancied resemblance of the corollas to the horn of a diminutive trumpet.

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

Earlier segregation of Erythranthe moniliformis as distinct from E. moschata (for example, G. L. Nesom 2012g) emphasized a primarily erect habit and tendency toward sessile to subsessile and more densely arranged cauline leaves in E. moniliformis versus a decumbent to procumbent habit and consistently petiolate leaves on longer internodes in E. moschata. Discontinuities in morphology, geography, and ecology were not confirmed in later study by Nesom (2017). Rhizomes with small, tuberlike swellings can be observed over the whole moschata/moniliformis range, and there apparently are no consistent distinctions in vestiture and corolla size.

Mimulus acutidens Reiche (1911), a later homonym of M. acutidens Greene, pertains here.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 422. 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. breviflora, E. breweri, E. caespitosa, E. calcicola, E. calciphila, E. cardinalis, E. carsonensis, E. charlestonensis, E. chinatiensis, E. cinnabarina, E. corallina, 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. 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 cordatus, M. maguirei Mimulus moschatus, E. inodora, E. moniliformis, M. crinitus, M. guttatus var. moschatus, M. inodorus, M. leibergii, M. macranthus, M. moniliformis, M. moschatus var. longiflorus, M. moschatus var. moniliformis, M. moschatus var. pallidiflorus
Name authority (Greene) G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 43. (2012) (Douglas ex Lindley) G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 38. (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).



Type/paste one or more Latin names into the boxes above; matching taxa will show up below the box as you type. You can use the up/down arrow keys to move through the list.

(If the plant you're looking for doesn't show up in the auto-complete list, that means it either isn't described in Flora of North America yet, or it's listed under a synonym. And please note that Flora of North America is still missing several plant families, including Fabaceae, Apiaceae, Boraginaceae, and Polemoniaceae.)

Choose a data source: Flora of North America, OregonFlora, UW Burke Herbarium

The species comparison tool is brought to you by:
Northwest Wildflowers