15 



Program (Shelly 1990) . Mimulus primuloides is 

 also listed for the state as "imperiled in Montana 

 because of rarity" (6-20 occurrences in the 

 state) . 



C. DESCRIPTION 



GENERAL NONTECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: The primrose 

 monkey-flower ( Mimulus primuloides ) is a small 

 member of the Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae) . 

 This species has lance-shaped leaves, with smooth 

 edges. Leaves occur opposite one another, and 

 crowd the base of the stem to form small rosettes. 

 The foliage is usually covered with fine, soft to 

 slightly stiff hairs, which are often sticky. 

 Flowering stalks only reach 2-3 inches in height 

 from branched rhizomes, and are topped by a single 

 flower. The bright yellow flowers of the primrose 

 monkey-flower are tubular-shaped, and 0.3-0.8 inch 

 in length. The fused petals form 2 lips, each of 

 which is notched, and the mouth of the flower is 

 often dotted with maroon spots. The rhizomes 

 connecting individuals of this species are visible 

 on the soil surface. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: Perennial with 

 flagelliform rhizomes, forming dense mats, the 

 leaves all crowded at or near the ground, 

 occasionally more lax, and the stem up to 6 cm 

 long; leaves villous-hirsute on one or both sides 

 and often viscid, or glabrous, oblanceolate or 

 nearly so, essentially sessile, entire or 

 obscurely toothed, 3(5) -nerved from the base, 7- 

 25 mm long, 3-11 mm wide; pedicels slender, 

 usually only 1(3) from a stem, 2-10 cm long, 

 rarely shorter in alpine depauperates; calyx 

 narrow, 4-8 mm long, glabrous except for the often 

 ciliolate margins of the short, acute or 

 mucronulate, about equal teeth; corolla yellow, 

 often dotted with maroon, 1-2 cm long, obscurely 

 bilabiate, with spreading, mostly notched lobes, 

 the throat somewhat flaring from a slender tube 

 (adapted from Hitchcock et al. 1955-1969) . 



LOCAL FIELD CHARACTERS: In the field M. 

 primuloides would be most easily confused with 

 several small annual members of the genus Mimulus . 

 but is decisively distinguished from them by the 

 presence of creeping rhizomes connecting 

 individual ramets. 



