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small-flower monkeyflower

calyx-nose monkeyflower, erythranthe nasuta, large-nose monkey-flower, little yellow monkey-flower, snouted monkey-flower

Habit Annuals, fibrous-rooted. Annuals, fibrous-rooted or slender-taprooted.
Stems

erect to ascending, simple or branched from base, 4-angled, 3–16 cm, glabrous.

erect to ascending-erect or decumbent, simple or branched from proximal nodes, 4-angled, sometimes shallowly 4-winged, thin-wiry, or fistulose, 2–35(–100) cm, glabrous except for a consistently small, villous-glandular area just above nodes, sometimes hirtellous distally.

Leaves

basal and cauline;

petiole: proximals 1–5 mm, mid cauline and distals 0 mm;

blade palmately 3-veined, broadly elliptic to ovate or broadly ovate, 6–20 × 6–12 mm, base rounded to cordate, margins subentire to denticulate, apex obtuse to acute or acuminate, surfaces sparsely villous.

basal and cauline or basal not persistent;

petiole: proximals to medials 3–35 mm, base narrowly flanged, distals 0 mm;

blade ± red tinged abaxially or purple-spotted, palmately 3–5-veined, elliptic-ovate to broadly ovate, suborbicular, or depressed-ovate, (5–)10–49(–80) × (3–)10–25(–60) mm, as long as wide or wider than long, proximals largest and persistent, base cuneate to truncate or subcordate, margins irregularly dentate to dentate-serrate or nearly lacerate-dentate, commonly doubly toothed, main teeth 4–9 per side, sometimes sublacerate to sublyrate basally, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces glabrous, sometimes hirtellous, hairs dull, terete, sharp-pointed, eglandular.

Flowers

plesiogamous, 1–12, from proximal to distal nodes.

plesiogamous, (1 or)2–12(–20), from distal nodes, sometimes from medial to distal, chasmogamous or cleistogamous.

Styles

glabrous.

minutely scabrous or glabrous.

Corollas

pale pink to rose pink or purple to magenta, throat sometimes yellow, lobes sometimes yellowish with pale rose spots, bilaterally symmetric, weakly bilabiate;

tube-throat cylindric, 5–9 mm, exserted beyond calyx margin;

limb expanded 5–6 mm.

yellow, throat usually red-spotted, abaxial limb base usually with a red splotch, bilaterally symmetric, weakly bilabiate;

tube-throat broadly cylindric, (5–)8–12 mm, exserted (0–)1–2 mm beyond calyx margin;

limb expanded 6–12 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

5–15 mm, glabrous.

(3–)7–20(–40) mm, longer than subtending leaves, glabrate, sometimes glandular-villous adaxially at axils.

Fruiting calyces

campanulate, 6–9 mm, margins subtruncate, glabrous, lobes reduced, subequal.

nodding 30–180º, usually purple-tinged or -spotted, ovoid-campanulate, inflated, sagittally compressed, (5–)10–15(–19) mm, glabrous or minutely hirtellous to appressed-hirtellous, minutely short-ciliate at sinuses, throat closing, adaxial lobe usually longer than abaxial, slightlty falcate.

Capsules

included, 4–9 mm.

included, (4–)5–9(–10) mm.

Anthers

included, minutely villous-hirsute.

included, glabrous.

2n

= 26, 28, 56.

Erythranthe inconspicua

Erythranthe nasuta

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun(–Jul). Flowering (Mar–)Apr–Jun(–Jul).
Habitat Steep, north- or northwest-facing slopes, canyon walls, moist talus, granitic sand on outcrops, moist gravelly open spots, sandy lakeshores, hillside streams or seeps, riparian woodlands, grassy slopes, gray pine, yellow pine, yellow pine-Kellogg oak, chaparral, Pseudotsuga-Pinus-Cornus, canyon live oak woodlands. Cliff faces, ledges, crevices, and bases, wet rocks in rivers, streamsides, sand bars, mossy seeps, wet clay banks, moist fields, sandy soils, depressions over granite, roadsides.
Elevation 200–2100 m. (700–6900 ft.) (0–)600–2300(–3200) m. ((0–)2000–7500(–10500) ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; ID; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; BC; Mexico (Baja California, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Erythranthe inconspicua occurs in Sierran counties from Kern north to El Dorado and then is apparently disjunct further northward to Butte County. A record from Los Angeles County (Bigelow s.n., 14 May 1854, the type of the species) is probably mislabeled, as other collections by Bigelow on the same day are from Calaveras County.

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

Erythranthe nasuta is characterized by its annual duration (fibrous-rooted), four-angled stems, broadly ovate leaves commonly with irregularly toothed margins, calyces with longish, protruding adaxial lobes, and short corollas (all autogamous, chasmogamous or cleistogamous). Flowers may vary significantly in size, even on a single plant. Plants commonly produce tiny cleistogamous flowers on branches (usually at the base of the plant) separate from those with larger flowers. At least the distal and bracteal leaves consistently have hirtellous to hirsutulous adaxial surfaces, even in the smallest of plants. Glandular vestiture is produced only in the axils. Some plants, apparently at the upper limits of populational variability, produce thick-fistulose stems to 100 cm, large leaves (to 80 × 60 mm), and large fruiting calyces (16–19 mm).

Plants described as Mimulus sookensis (B. G. Benedict 1993; Benedict et al. 2012) are tetraploid and have been hypothesized to have arisen as alloploids between Erythranthe nasuta and E. microphylla in two or more independent events. In morphology, however, they are indistinguishable from E. nasuta and are treated here within it. In contrast, experimental hybrids and naturally occurring nasuta-microphylla hybrids apparently of contemporary origin are intermediate in morphology (see review by G. L. Nesom 2013e). The tetraploid occurs from northern California to southwestern British Columbia (A. L. Sweigart et al. 2008; Benedict et al. 2012).

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 382. FNA vol. 17, p. 418.
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. 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. 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. 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 inconspicuus Mimulus nasuta, M. bakeri, M. cuspidatus, M. erosus, M. guttatus var. gracilis, M. guttatus var. nasutus, M. langsdorffii var. nasutus, M. luteus var. gracilis, M. puncticalyx, M. sookensis, M. subreniformis
Name authority (A. Gray) G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 34. (2012) (Greene) G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 44. (2012)
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