Seep Monkey Flower (Erythranthe guttata)
- Seep Monkey Flower is a yellow bee-pollinated wildflower that grows along the banks of streams and seeps in western North America and throughout most of California. It is also well liked by hummingbirds. This is a highly variable plant, taking many forms. It is a species complex in that there is room to treat some of its forms as different species by some definitions. Both annual and perennial forms occur throughout the species' range. It is found in a wide range of habitats including the splash zone of the Pacific Ocean, the geysers of Yellowstone National Park, alpine meadows, serpentine barrens, and even on the toxic tailings of copper mines. It is sometimes aquatic, its herbage floating in small bodies of water. It has been a model organism for studies of evolution and ecology. There may be as many as 1000 scientific papers focused on this species. The scientific name of this plant was recently changed from Mimulus guttatus to Erythranthe guttata.
In gardens or ponds, Seep Monkey Flower is probably best treated as a fast growing annual that will re-seed itself. It grows in moist soils and in up 2 feet of water, and the more water it gets, the faster it tends to grow.
Seep Monkey Flower is an excellent pond plant. Its spreading root systems make it one of the best plants for filtering water in aquatic gardens, and its abundant yellow snapdragon-shaped flowers add spectacular color to a pond in winter and spring. Note that because it aggressively spreads and copiously self seeds, it may need to be periodically pulled or cut back to prevent it from crowding out other pond marginals. This information is on calscape.org
Link to mountain monkeyflower/Mimulus tilingiiat page
note: I have those I photographed at Rough and Ready Creek and also those I photographed down the road from it on the sides of a stream which maybe more of the 'Seep Monkey Flower' type...kay
|
