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Palmer's monkeyflower

Arizona big red monkeyflower

Habit Annuals, taprooted. Perennials, rhizomatous.
Stems

erect, simple or branched from basal nodes, 4–17 cm, minutely puberulent.

usually erect to ascending, freely branched, 25–60 cm, glabrous.

Leaves

cauline, basal not persistent;

petiole 0 mm;

blade pinnately veined, palmately 3-veined (in broader ones), linear to oblanceolate, (3–)4–17 × 1–4 mm, base attenuate, margins entire, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces minutely puberulent.

usually cauline;

petiole 0 mm;

blade palmately veined, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, elliptic-lanceolate, or broadly lanceolate, 60–125 × 25–46 mm, base narrowly auriculate, clasping to subclasping, margins shallowly dentate, teeth sharp-pointed, apex acute, adaxial surface glabrous or minutely sessile- or stipitate-glandular along veins, lamina glabrous.

Flowers

herkogamous, 1–36, from distal or medial to distal nodes.

herkogamous, 2–4(–8), axillary at leafy distal nodes.

Styles

glabrous.

glabrous.

Corollas

pink to purple, abaxial limb with 2 yellow ridges, bilaterally symmetric, strongly bilabiate;

tube-throat funnelform, 6–15 mm, exserted beyond calyx margin;

limb expanded 8–15 mm, lobes deeply notched, abaxial limb sparsely bearded.

deep orange, dull orange, red-orange, or deep scarlet, throat yellow-orange, dark red stripes leading onto basal part of lobes, not spotted, palate ridges red, bilaterally symmetric, strongly bilabiate;

tube-throat tubular, 29–36 mm, exserted 7–12 mm beyond calyx margin;

throat open, palate ridges densely short-villous, hairs yellowish.

Fruiting pedicels

spreading horizontally, 5–33 mm.

50–95 mm.

Fruiting calyces

sometimes red-spotted on ribs, becoming straw colored, cylindric, 4–8 mm, margins distinctly toothed or lobed, glabrous, ribs weak, lobes pronounced, erect, margins ciliate.

cylindric-campanulate, not inflated, (27–)29–34 mm, minutely stipitate- or sessile-glandular, lobes 7–10 mm, ovate, apex abruptly attenuate to linear-caudate.

Capsules

included, 4–8 mm.

included, 14–18 mm.

Anthers

included, glabrous.

exserted, white-villous, thecae spreading.

2n

= 16.

Erythranthe palmeri

Erythranthe cinnabarina

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Jun–Aug(–Sep).
Habitat Moist areas in openings in pine forest and desert chaparral transitions. Canyons, ravines, streambeds and margins, riparian vegetation, mixed conifer forest.
Elevation 900–2200 m. (3000–7200 ft.) 2100–3300 m. (6900–10800 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AZ
Discussion

Erythranthe palmeri has been confused with other closely related species, including E. diffusa, E. discolor (pink form), E. rhodopetra, and E. sierrae. It was previously thought to be a widely distributed species because of this taxonomic confusion but now is regarded as endemic to the Transverse Range in the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains.

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

Erythranthe cinnabarina is similar to typical E. cardinalis in its spreading anther thecae, relatively short-exserted corolla tube, and its reflexing corolla lobes but distinct in its generally larger leaves with reduced vestiture, fewer flowers, larger calyx and corolla, apically caudate calyx lobes, and its separate geographical range.

Erythranthe cinnabarina occurs in Cochise County (Chiricahua Mountains), Graham County (Pinaleño Mountains), and Pima County (Santa Catalina Mountains). Erythranthe verbenacea, with which it sometimes has been confused, occurs at lower elevations (350–2600 m) and ranges over most of the state (Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, and Yavapai counties). Erythranthe cinnabarina apparently occurs alone (without E. verbenacea) in the Pinaleño Mountains and in the Chiricahua Mountains, but both species have been abundantly documented in the Santa Catalina Mountains, where they sometimes closely co-occur in areas of elevational overlap (for example, at Marshall Gulch, about 2500 m; at Bear Wallow Campground, about 2600 m).

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 387. FNA vol. 17, p. 393.
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. lewisii, E. linearifolia, E. marmorata, E. michiganensis, E. microphylla, E. minor, E. montioides, E. moschata, E. nasuta, E. norrisii, E. nudata, 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. 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 palmeri
Name authority (A. Gray) N. S. Fraga: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 35. (2012) G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2014-31: 16, figs. 16, 17. (2014)
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