#phrymaceae

[ruthbancroftgarden]

Diplacus puniceus

The plants now placed in Diplacus, known as Monkey Flowers, were formerly included in Mimulus, but that genus was split up. Yhe family placement has changed too, since the Mimulus-Diplacus group were formerly placed in the large family Scrophulariaceae, but DNA evidence showed that several distinct lineages were lumped together, and that they were not all each other's closest relatives. So now we have Diplacus and Mimulus in the family Phrymaceae, a smaller and more cohesive grouping. Diplacus puniceus comes from southern California (south of L.A.) and down into northern Baja California. This is a very drought-tolerant species with vivid red or red-orange flowers that thrives in a Mediterranean climate.

-Brian

[drhoz]

#3670 - Erythranthe guttata - Seep Monkeyflower

Formerly Mimulus guttatus, the original binomial given to it in 1813 by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle. It's also had 32 synonyms over the years, but in 2012 it was moved to the genus Erythranthe by American botanist Guy L. Nesom. Erythranthe refers to the red flowers of some species in the genus, and guttatus to the spots in the throat of this one.

Native to streambanks and seeps in western North America, tolerating salt spray, toxic mine tailings, hydrothermal fields, and desert conditions, as long as the ground is damp. Very common in New Zealand near water bodies, as here on the bank of the Avon. An introduced species in Europe.

As well as being grown as an ornamental, the leaves are edible, both raw and cooked, and sometimes added to salads.

Christchurch, NZ.

[wenbochenphoto]

Flora of sumatra: Cyrtandromoea sp. (Phrymaceae), a large shrub in Aceh Province.

[natureinsight]

Erythranthe naiandina, apinankukka

[regnum-plantae]

Erythranthe guttata, Phrymaceae

On a Sunday, the bus I take to work follows a different route so I get to walk through a park on my way there, and that’s how I spotted this common yellow monkeyflower this morning. This highly variable species was formerly known as Mimulus guttata, and looking at these flowers I instantly thought of Mimulus ‘Splash’, one of the summer bedding plants we keep in the garden centre where I work, but I had never actually seen it with my eyes. 

Native to NW North America, this clump forming perennial (with annual forms) has been introduced to the British Isles in the 1830′s and is quite widespread especially along its waterways as it prefers moist soil and proximity to water in its native area. Quite fittingly, I found it growing just steps away from the river which runs the length of the park. Especially in the taller forms, this plant can spread quickly and vigorously through stolons, so it’s a good pond plant, but it might need some management in autumn when it goes dormant. The other obvious benefit in a garden situation is, once again, in the bright yellow zygomorphic flowers, a magnet for bees and bumblebees especially.  

[pnwbotany]

🌿 Chickweed Monkeyflower 🌸 Erythranthe alsinoides 🍃 Phrymaceae 🌺

[professor-buffalo-blog]

Next up are members of the family, Phrymaceae which includes all of the species of Monkey-Flower found in the Pacific Northwest. Members of this family were traditionally placed in the Figwort Family (Scrophulariaceae). The photos above are of Lewis' Monkey-Flower (Mimulus Lewisii) which is very common along high elevation mountain streams and springs. In the second photo down, a distinct band of monkey-flowers marks the location of a small stream as it passes through an alpine meadow. The name of this species is in honor of Captain Meriweather Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1806.

[ruthbancroftgarden]

Diplacus aurantiacus

This species, commonly known as the sticky monkey-flower, is a very common plant in California, but the usual color is pale orange. The white form, with a little yellow in the throat, is a delightful change of pace. Known for many years as Mimulus aurantiacus (and placed in the family Scrophulariaceae), it has been re-named as Diplacus aurantiacus and put in the family Phrymaceae.

-Brian