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 ptilota

Erythranthe pardalis

musk monkeyflower, musk-flower, sessile-leaf monkey-flower, wing-leaf monkeyflower

Pennell's panther
Habit Perennials, rhizomatous, sometimes rooting at proximal nodes. Annuals, fibrous-rooted or taprooted.
Stems

prostrate, sometimes decumbent to ascending, few-branched, 20–80 cm, villous, hairs 1–2 mm, eglandular, sometimes mixed with much shorter stipitate-glandular ones, internodes evident.

decumbent-ascending, erect distally, simple, sometimes branched from proximal to medial nodes, 5–30 cm, short, delicately stipitate-glandular, distals minutely puberulent-glandular, hairs 0.1–0.4 mm (to 1 mm on proximal portions of stems), gland-tipped.
Leaves

cauline, basal not persistent, often congested;

petiole 0 mm, rarely 1–2(–3) mm;

blade pinnately veined, oblong-lanceolate, 30–70 × 10–22 mm, base rounded, margins denticulate to dentate, apex acute, surfaces villous, hairs 1–2 mm, eglandular, sometimes mixed with much shorter stipitate-glandular ones.

usually cauline, basal usually not persistent;

petiole: proximals and medials 8–20 mm, distalmost 1–2 mm;

blade palmately 3-veined, usually ovate or broadly ovate to depressed-ovate, proximals and medials 7–22 × 6–18 mm, sometimes largest at mid stem, base rounded or cuneate to gradually attenuate, margins shallowly dentate-serrate, teeth 2 or 3(–5) per side mostly distally, apex obtuse to obtuse-acuminate, surfaces sparsely villous to puberulent-glandular, hairs vitreous, gland-tipped, sometimes glabrous.
Flowers

herkogamous, 4–10, from medial to distal nodes.

plesiogamous, 2–12, usually evenly distributed from proximal to distal nodes, chasmogamous, anther pairs in larger corollas slightly separated, stigma at level of distal pair, or both anther pairs and stigma at same level; in smaller corollas without expanded limb and barely exserted beyond calyx margin, both anther pairs and stigma at same level.
Styles

glabrous.

glabrous.
Corollas

yellow, throat with fine blackish or brownish lines on all sides, weakly bilaterally or nearly radially symmetric, weakly bilabiate or nearly regular;

tube-throat narrowly campanulate, 15–18 mm, exserted beyond calyx margin;

lobe apex rounded.

yellow, throat floor sometimes red-spotted, bilaterally symmetric, bilabiate;

tube-throat narrowly funnelform to cylindric, 7–10(–12) mm, exserted 1–3 mm beyond calyx margin;

limb expanded 8–12 mm, palate villous.
Fruiting pedicels

(15–)22–50 mm, villous, hairs 1–2 mm, eglandular, sometimes mixed with much shorter stipitate-glandular ones.

10–35 mm, short, delicately stipitate-glandular, distals minutely puberulent-glandular, hairs 0.1–0.4 mm, gland-tipped.
Fruiting calyces

wing- or plicate-angled, cylindric-campanulate, weakly inflated, 10–12 mm, villous-glandular, hairs gland-tipped, lobes distinctly spreading, strongly unequal, linear-lanceolate to narrowly triangular, 5–9 mm, apex long acuminate-apiculate.

nodding 45–180º, consistently dark purple-spotted, cylindric-campanulate, inflated, sagittally compressed, 8–11 mm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent-glandular, sometimes minutely hirtellous, throat closing.
Capsules

included, 6–8 mm.

included, stipitate, 4–6 mm.
Anthers

included, finely hirtellous to hispidulous.

included, glabrous.
2n

= 28.

Erythranthe ptilota

Erythranthe pardalis
Phenology Flowering (May–)Jun–Aug. Flowering (Mar–)Apr–May.
Habitat Creek banks, gravel bars, flood plains, shallow ditches and natural drainages, swales, damp banks, wet sand, moist soils in coniferous woods, marshes, bogs. Crevices of serpentine rock, stony red soils, red clay, among boulders, along streams, ditches, tailings at copper mines.
Elevation 0–1000(–1900) m. (0–3300(–6200) ft.) 100–700 m. (300–2300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CA
Discussion

Erythranthe ptilota is recognized by its prostrate to decumbent or decumbent-ascending habit, large, consistently sessile leaves, densely villous vestiture, long pedicels, large calyces and corollas, hispid-hirtellous anthers, and particularly by its long, strongly unequal, linear-triangular calyx lobes usually distally falcate. Leaf bases typically are truncate to rounded or subcordate. Rarely the leaves are short-petiolate, but in such cases, the distinctive leaf bases, vestiture, calyx morphology, and pubescent anthers are diagnostic. Erythranthe ptilota is widely sympatric with E. moschata but usually occurs at lower elevations and characteristically in wetter habitats. The epithet ptilota (Greek ptilotos, winged) alludes to a fancied winglike aspect of the pairs of sessile leaves.

A population system of Erythranthe ptilota-like plants occurs in southern California, about 480 km disjunct from the main range of the species. These plants have the prostrate habit, large leaves, long pedicels, and large corollas of E. ptilota, but the calyx lobes are variable in length and usually do not show the characteristic attenuate-apiculate apices. The southern California plants are identified here as E. moschata.

Erythranthe ptilota is a new name at specific rank for Mimulus moschatus var. sessilifolius [not E. sessilifolia (Maximowicz) G. L. Nesom].

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

The relative constancy of Erythranthe pardalis in morphology suggests that genetic influence from other species is slight. It is recognized by its annual duration and relatively delicate habit, ovate to depressed-ovate leaves toothed mostly on the distal margins, small flowers produced from all nodes (proximal to distal), dark-spotted calyces, and stipitate-glandular cauline and foliar vestiture. While the corolla limbs are distinctly expanded, the tubes are only slightly exserted from the calyx, and flowers apparently are plesiogamous. The epithet pardalis alludes to the dark-spotted calyx.

Plants of Erythranthe pardalis occur primarily on serpentine rocks and soils but also grow on copper tailings at mine sites. The species is known from Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Placer, Tehama, and Tuolumne counties. The plants in Tehama County, geographically and ecologically disjunct from the main range, were recorded as growing in basalt crevices.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 402. FNA vol. 17, p. 420.
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. palmeri, E. pardalis, E. parishii, E. parvula, E. patula, E. percaulis, E. primuloides, 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. 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 moschatus var. sessilifolius Mimulus pardalis, M. cupriphilus, M. guttatus var. cupriphilus, M. guttatus var. pardalis
Name authority G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2017-17: 4. (2017) (Pennell) G. L. Nesom: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 44. (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, UW Burke Herbarium

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