MONKEYFLOWERS (Mi'mulus spp., syn. Euna'nus spp.) 



Monkeyflowers are annual or perennial herbs of the figwort family (Scrophu- 

 lariaceae) or, if one includes the bushmonkeyflowers (Diplatfus spp.), sometimes 

 shrubs. The common name monkeyflower is an interpretation of the meaning 

 of the scientific name Mimutus, which is a diminutive of the Latin mimux, 

 mimic, and refers to the grinning mien of the variously colored and spotted, 

 irregular, two-lipped flowers and their resemblance to the masks worn by 

 mimes, or comic actors, on the ancient stage. Members of this fairly large, 

 attractively flowered genus have worldwide distribution, except in the tropical 

 regions. Seventy or more species of the genus occur naturally in western 

 North America, with California the center of distribution. In the West mon- 

 keyflowers grow in swampy areas, around springs, along streams, and other 

 moist or wet places in the woods or among rocks and upon cliffs, from the low 

 plains to the high mountains. 



Their wide distribution, numerous species, and showiness make monkeyflowers 

 a familiar component of western vegetation, but inferior palatability and usual 

 lack of abundance preclude them from the roster of important forage plants. 

 Sheep nibble the flowers and some of the leaves, but the species are worthless 

 or, at best, poor feed for cattle. Horses dislike these plants ; elk and deer 

 graze them but slightly. Any material disturbance of the soil expedites the 

 spread of monkeyflowers, which frequently occur in masses along gullies, washes, 

 and slides in the mountains where the moisture supply is adequate. 



Crimson monkeyflower (M. cardina'lis) is closely related to Lewis monkey- 

 flower. Its large, velvety, crimson flowers, blended with yellow, are very 

 showy; it has been cultivated to some extent, especially in England, where 

 it was introduced from California by David Douglas. This species grows 

 along streams and ditches from Utah to Oregon, California, New Mexico, 

 and Mexico. It is easily domesticated, if planted in moist situations, and 

 averages from 2 to 4 feet in height; its egg-shaped (ovate) to obovate- 

 lance-shaped, toothed leaves are sticky-hairy. 



M. gutta'tiis (syn. M. langsdor'fii) is one of the most common species of 

 monkeyflower on the western ranges and apparently has no generally ac- 

 cepted English name, although it is sometimes referred to as common monkey- 

 flower. This interesting and very variable species occurs from Alaska and 

 Saskatchewan to New Mexico and California. Its native haunts are chiefly 

 in rich, moist soils along streams from sea level to the higher mountains. 

 The flowers are deep yellow, dotted with purple or brown within ; the leaves 

 are coarsely and irregularly toothed, with the upper ones stemless. The 

 early white settlers called this plant wild lettuce and ate the succulent herbage 

 and stems as a salad. 1 This species is so closely related to the cultivated 

 golden monkeyflower (M. lu'teus), originally described from Chile, that it has 

 often been confused with that species by botanist and layman alike. Golden 

 monkeyflower and some of its congeners have been subjects of horticultural 

 research because of their natural instability ; numerous forms and hybrids show 

 remarkably beautiful and variegated color patterns of the corolla. 



Muskplant (M. mo8cha?tus) was discovered and named by David Douglas, who intro- 

 duced it into England from the Columbia River region of Washington. This spreading or 

 creeping perennial plant soon became a favorite for trellises both in England and in eastern 

 America. The flowers are pale, yellow, dotted with brown, and the densely white-hairy, 

 sticky leaves have a musklike odor. After many years in cultivation this musk odor 

 suddenly disappeared, whereupon the plant immediately lost popularity ; the reason for 

 the loss of scent has never been definitely determined. 1 Various authorities report that 

 muskplants found in thrir native habitat are not always scented. 



The species of Mimulus have erect or spreading, hairless, or hairy stems with opposite, 

 hairless or hairy (often viscid-hairy), ordinarily toothed loaves. The attractive, generally 

 showy flowers are borne singly on stalks arising from the joint of the leaf and stem or 

 appear as though in clusters (racemes) by the reduction of the upper leaves to bracts. The 

 flowers, slightly resembling those of the cultivated snapdragons, are chiefly yellow, red, or 

 purplish (rarely white), with a pair of bearded or naked ridges extending down the lower 

 side of the interior or along the so-called throat of the flower. In some species, the most 

 striking feature is the brown or other-colored marking in the throat of the corolla. The 

 five united outer flower parts (calyx) form an angled, five-toothed tube; the four anther- 

 bearing stamens occur in pairs. The seed-producing organ (pistil) is an interesting feature 

 of monkeyflowers. the upper portion (stigma) consisting of two flat plates or lobes. When 

 the flower is in bloom, these lobes are expanded, and are very sensitive. They immediately 

 close tightly if touched by a visiting insect, but subsequently open again. Whether this 

 adaptation has any significance in the economy of these plants is a mystery. The fruit, a 

 two-celled capsule containing many small seeds, is enclosed in the calyx tube at maturity. 



1 Saunders, C. F. WESTERN WILD FLOWERS AND THEIR STORIES. 320 pp., illus. Garden 

 City, N. Y. 1933. 



