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California blushing monkeyflower

little purple monkeyflower, purple monkeyflower

Habit Perennials, rhizomatous. Annuals, taprooted.
Stems

erect, usually simple, 25–90 cm, stipitate-glandular to glandular-villous.

erect, simple or branched from basal nodes, 3–10 cm, minutely puberulent.

Leaves

cauline;

petiole 0 mm;

blade palmately veined, elliptic to ovate, ovate-lanceolate, or lanceolate, (20–)30–90 × 5–25(–35) mm, base rounded to cuneate, subclasping, margins denticulate, subentire, or entire, apex acute, surfaces stipitate-glandular to glandular-villous.

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, 2–8, axillary at leafy medial to distal nodes.

herkogamous, 1–22, from distal or medial to distal nodes.

Styles

glabrous.

glabrous.

Corollas

light pink, darker pink stripes down middle of each lobe, abaxial 3 lobes with a white basal patch, palate ridges yellow, bilaterally symmetric, strongly bilabiate;

tube-throat funnelform, 20–30 mm, exserted beyond calyx margins;

lobe apex usually truncate, shallowly retuse, throat open.

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

45–90 mm.

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

Fruiting calyces

cylindric-campanulate, not inflated, 15–22 mm, stipitate-glandular to glandular-villous, tube 14–19 × 6–8 mm, lobes subequal to distinctly unequal, ovate, apex linear-caudate.

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

Capsules

included, 7–13 mm.

included, 3–8 mm.

Anthers

included, white-villous, thecae spreading.

included, glabrous.

2n

= 16.

Erythranthe erubescens

Erythranthe purpurea

Phenology Flowering Jul–Aug. Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Springs and seeps, meadows, cliffs, steep rocky slopes, ridges. Moist openings along streams, swales, and depressions, pine duff in yellow pine forests, margins of dry meadows.
Elevation (1400–)1800–3000(–3500) m. ((4600–)5900–9800(–11500) ft.) 1900–2800 m. (6200–9200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Erythranthe erubescens was long identified as E. lewisii but is distinct in its light pink corollas (versus mostly magenta-rose to purplish in E. lewisii), more broadly cylindric calyx tube [14–19 × 6–8 mm versus 12–15(–17) × 9–12 mm], and its geographic range in the Sierra Nevada of California (versus widespread from southern Alaska south to northwestern California, northern Utah, eastern Nevada, and northern Colorado in E. lewisii). The two are genetically isolated and phylogenetically distinct (see summary of evidence in G. L. Nesom 2014b).

In California, Erythranthe erubescens ranges from Modoc, Plumas, and Tehama counties south to Fresno County; in Nevada, it is known only from Washoe County and Carson City.

(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. 393. 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. 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. 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 purpureus, M. purpureus var. pauxillus
Name authority G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2014-31: 12, figs. 11–13. (2014) (A. L. Grant) N. S. Fraga: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 35. (2012)
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