Mimulus cardinalis

Mimulus cardinalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Phrymaceae
Genus:	Mimulus
Species:	M. cardinalis
Binomial name
Mimulus cardinalis Dougl. ex Benth.
Synonyms
Diplacus cardinalis Mimulus verbenaceus

Mimulus cardinalis, the scarlet monkeyflower, is a flowering perennial in the family Phrymaceae. Together with other species in Mimulus section Erythranthe, it serves as a model system for studying pollinator-based reproductive isolation.

Description

It is a fairly large, spreading, attractive plant which bears strongly reflexed, nectar-rich red or orange-red flowers and toothed, downy leaves. It is native to the West Coast and Southwestern United States and Baja California, and is generally found at low elevation in moist areas. Occasional populations of yellow-flowered Mimulus cardinalis (which lack anthocyanin pigments in their corollas) are found in the wild.^[1]

Cultivation

Mimulus cardinalis is cultivated in the horticulture trade and widely available as an ornamental plant for: traditional gardens; natural landscape, native plant, and habitat gardens; and various types of municipal, commercial, and agency sustainable landscape projects. Cultivars come in a range of colors between yellow and red, including the "Santa Cruz Island Gold" variety, originally collected from Santa Cruz Island off the coast of California.

Pollination

Its blooms and large nectar load attract hummingbirds, whose foreheads serve as the pollen transfer surface between flowers. In the area where it overlaps with its sister species, Mimulus lewisii, reproductive isolation is maintained almost exclusively through pollinator preference.^[2]

References

1. ^ Vickery 1992
2. ^ Ramsey 2003

External links

• USDA Plants Profile
• Jepson Manual Treatment
• Photo gallery