The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

little redstem monkeyflower, red stem himulus, redstem monkeyflower, redstem or little redstem monkeyflower

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

Habit Annuals, taprooted. Perennials, rhizomatous.
Stems

erect, simple, sometimes branched from basal nodes, 3–32 cm, minutely puberulent.

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

Leaves

cauline, basal not persistent;

petiole 0 mm;

blade palmately 3-veined (in broader ones), linear to elliptic, 5–22(–30) × 1–5 mm, base narrowed, margins entire, sometimes toothed, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces minutely puberulent.

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.

Flowers

herkogamous, sometimes plesiogamous, 1–106, from distal or medial to distal nodes.

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

Anthers

included, glabrous.

included, white-villous, thecae spreading.

Styles

glabrous.

glabrous.

Corollas

yellow and abaxial limb and throat red dotted or pink to purple and throat yellow, bilaterally symmetric, weakly bilabiate;

tube-throat cylindric, 4–10 mm, exserted beyond calyx margin;

limb expanded 3–5 mm, lobes entire or weakly notched, abaxial limb glabrous.

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.

Fruiting pedicels

2–18 mm.

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

Fruiting calyces

becoming red-angled or red, campanulate to nearly cylindric, 4–9 mm, margins distinctly toothed or lobed, glabrous or minutely puberulent, ribs thickened, lobes pronounced, erect, margins ciliate.

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

Capsules

included, 3–8 mm.

included, 6–11 mm.

2n

= 16.

Erythranthe rubella

Erythranthe lewisii

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat Open slopes and washes. Stream banks, springs, wet meadows, subalpine slopes, talus, crevices, ditches.
Elevation 300–3000 m. [1000–9800 ft.] 600–2900(–3200) m. [2000–9500(–10500) ft.]
Distribution
map from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NM; NV; TX; UT; WY; Mexico (Baja California, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
map from FNA
AK; CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; 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.)

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. ptilota, E. pulsiferae, E. purpurea, E. regni, E. rhodopetra, E. scouleri, E. shevockii, E. sierrae, E. suksdorfii, E. taylorii, E. thermalis, E. tilingii, E. trinitiensis, E. unimaculata, E. utahensis, E. verbenacea, E. veronicifolia, 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. 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. veronicifolia, E. washingtonensis, E. willisii
Synonyms Mimulus rubellus, M. gratioloides Mimulus lewisii, M. lewisii var. tetonensis
Name authority (A. Gray) N. S. Fraga: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 35. (2012) (Pursh) G. L. Nesom & N. S. Fraga: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 36. (2012)
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 384. Treatment authors: Guy L. Nesom, Naomi S. Fraga. FNA vol. 17, p. 392. Treatment authors: Guy L. Nesom, Naomi S. Fraga.
Web links