W131 



LEWIS MONKEYFLOWER 



Mi'mulus lewi'sii 



Flowers rose-pink to purplish, long-stalked, 

 mostly in pairs from the axils of the upper 

 leaves 



Outer united flower parts (calyx) green, 

 symmetrical, neither oblique nor inflated, 

 prismatic, 5-angled, about % in. long, with 5 

 sharp, nearly equal, linear-lance-shaped teeth 



United petals (corolla) showy, 1 to 2 in. 

 long, funnelform, sparingly bearded in the 

 throat, 2-lipped, with 5 spreading lobes, 2 

 lobes turned up and the other 3 down 



Stamens 4, not conspicuously protruding, 

 attached to corolla but not included in upper 

 "lip" 



Seed pod (capsule) oblong, somewhat papery, 

 enclosed in persistent calyx, 2-celled, splitting 

 down middle back of eacn cell 



Stems erect, usually 1 or 2 (sometimes up to 

 4) ft. high, more or less sticky-hairy, often 

 numerous and tufted from a perennial under- 

 ground rootstock 



Leaves opposite, stalkless, up to about 4 in. 

 long, oblong-egg-shaped to lance-shaped, some- 

 what sticky-hairy, with several rather promi- 

 nent and almost parallel veins, remotely wavy- 

 toothed around margins 



The large, showy flowers of this beautiful perennial herb are in evidence from 

 Minnesota to Colorado and Arizona and westward to the Pacific coast from 

 California to British Columbia. Although widely distributed, this species is 

 never very abundant and occurs only in moist places along streams and around 

 springs. It commonly grows in relatively small but dense clumps at the higher 

 elevations (from 5,000 to 10,000 feet), but sometimes is found at lower altitudes, 

 in partial shade on moist sites. Both the common name, Lewis monkeyflower, 

 and the specific name lewisii are floral compliments to the famous explorer 

 Captain Meriwether Lewis of the historic Lewis and Clark expedition. 



Lewis monkeyflower has but little forage value, usually growing in places too 

 wet for accessibility to livestock. Moreover, its palatability is low varying 

 from practically worthless to poor for cattle and from poor to fair for sheep. 

 The attractive, pink to rose-red (rarely pure white) flowers of this plant are 

 in demand by wild-flower lovers, and the species is rather widely cultivated. 



[ iih. A. Hoen & Cc 



