Flora of North America species comparison

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Erythranthe lewisii

Erythranthe decora

great purple monkey-flower, great purple or Lewis' monkeyflower, Lewis' monkey flower, pink monkey-flower, purple monkey-flower

mannered monkeyflower, northwestern monkey -flower, sharp-leaf monkey-flower, showy monkey-flower
Habit Perennials, rhizomatous. Perennials, rhizomatous, sometimes producing numerous, long, remotely leafy runners from basal cauline nodes.
Stems

erect, usually simple, (15–)25–60(–75) cm, stipitate-glandular to glandular-villous.

erect, simple, 20–100 cm, distals densely, minutely hirtellous.
Leaves

cauline;

petiole 0 mm;

blade palmately veined, elliptic to ovate, ovate-lanceolate, or broadly oblanceolate, (10–)25–75(–90) × 5–35 mm, base rounded to cuneate, subclasping, margins denticulate, subentire, or entire, apex acute, surfaces stipitate-glandular to glandular-villous.

cauline, basal usually not persistent;

petiole: proximals 8–25 mm, midcauline 3–5 mm, distalmost 0 mm;

blade palmately (3–)5–7-veined, broadly ovate-triangular to ovate-lanceolate, 20–50(–60) × 10–30(–40) mm, usually 1–2 times longer than wide, base rounded to truncate to shallowly cuneate, margins dentate, teeth sharp-pointed, apex acute, surfaces sometimes glabrate, distals densely, minutely hirtellous.
Flowers

herkogamous, 2–6(–10), axillary at leafy medial to distal nodes.

herkogamous, (1 or)2–7(–14), from distal nodes.
Styles

glabrous.

minutely, prominently hirsutulous to villosulous.
Corollas

purple, rarely crimson, pale violet, white, pinkish white, yellowish white, or lavender, sometimes lined with red dots, bilaterally symmetric, strongly bilabiate;

tube-throat funnelform, 22–28 mm, exserted beyond calyx margins;

lobe apex usually truncate to shallowly convex, shallowly retuse, throat open.

yellow to chrome yellow, throat floor and tube usually red-spotted, bilaterally symmetric, bilabiate;

tube-throat broadly funnelform, 18–26 mm, exserted (8–)10–15 mm beyond calyx margin;

limb expanded 22–30 mm.
Fruiting pedicels

(25–)35–70 mm, stipitate-glandular to glandular-villous.

18–35(–40) mm, distals densely, minutely hirtellous, hairs often slightly deflexed.
Fruiting calyces

broadly cylindric-campanulate, not inflated, 15–22 mm, stipitate-glandular to glandular-villous, tube 12–15(–17) × 9–12 mm.

green, sometimes red-spotted, ovoid, inflated, sagittally compressed, 15–19 mm, distals densely, minutely hirtellous, throat closing, lobe margins (sinuses) villous.
Capsules

included, 6–11 mm.

included, 8–10 mm.
Anthers

included, white-villous, thecae spreading.

included, glabrous.
2n

= 16.

Erythranthe lewisii

Erythranthe decora
Phenology Flowering Jun–Sep. Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Stream banks, springs, wet meadows, subalpine slopes, talus, crevices, ditches. River banks, streamsides, dripping banks, moist meadows.
Elevation 600–2900(–3200) m. (2000–9500(–10500) ft.) 1000–1600 m. (3300–5200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
ID; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Erythranthe lewisii in California occurs in Modoc, Siskiyou, and Trinity counties. California records from Shasta County and south previously identified as E. lewisii are identified here as E. erubescens. The record for E. lewisii in Alaska is documented by this collection: Hyder [noted on handwritten label as "New to Alaska, Standley"], damp land, 27 June 1924, K. Whited 1291 (MO).

Apparent exceptions to the characteristic flower color are these: white to lavender in Nevada (Clark County, Charleston Mountains, Train 2068, MO); pinkish white in Washington (Skamania and Yakima counties, Mt. Paddo, Suksdorf 5779, MO); white or tinged with yellow, in Wyoming (Teton County, as described by Nelson in the protologue of Mimulus lewisii var. tetonensis).

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

Erythranthe decora is distinct in its uniformly ovate to ovate-lanceolate leaf blades with truncate bases and regularly toothed margins, relatively long internodes, rhizomatous habit, mostly unbranched stems, often with leafy runners from basal nodes, large corollas, hairy styles, and minutely hirtellous stems, pedicels, calyces, and leaf surfaces. The densely produced rhizomes suggest a relationship with the E. tilingii group. A population in Clearwater County, Idaho, appears to be long-disjunct from the main range of the species in northwestern Oregon and the western half of Washington.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 392. FNA vol. 17, p. 414.
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. inconspicua, E. inflatula, E. jungermannioides, E. laciniata, E. latidens, 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. 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 lewisii, M. lewisii var. tetonensis Mimulus guttatus var. decorus, M. decorus
Name authority (Pursh) G. L. Nesom & N. S. Fraga: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 36. (2012) (A. L. Grant) G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 43. (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).



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