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Taxon  Report  
Erythranthe cardinalis  Douglas ex Benth.
Cardinal monkey flower
Erythranthe cardinalis is a perennial herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
also called Mimulus cardinalis
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Genus: Erythranthe
Family: Phrymaceae  
(Scrophulariaceae)
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Wetlands: Occurs usually in wetlands, occasionally in non wetlands

Communities: Yellow Pine Forest, Red Fir Forest, Lodgepole Forest, Subalpine Forest, Foothill Woodland, Chaparral, Valley Grassland, wetland-riparian, many plant communities

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF

Alternate Names:
JEFMimulus cardinalis var. griseus
JEFMimulus cardinalis var. rigens
JEFMimulus cardinalis
PLANTSMimulus cardinalis
Information about  Erythranthe cardinalis from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
Jepson eFlora

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ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Description, Cultivation, Pollination: Erythranthe cardinalis, the scarlet monkeyflower,[1][2] 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. It was formerly known as Mimulus cardinalis.[3][4][5][6] Description Erythranthe cardinalis is a perennial herb that grows 1?3 feet (30?91 cm) tall.[7] 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 Erythranthe cardinalis (which lack anthocyanin pigments in their corollas) are found in the wild.[8] Cultivation Erythranthe 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. In the UK it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[9] A short-lived perennial, it is often grown as an annual. It requires a wet, poorly-drained soil in full sun, in a sheltered position.[9] 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, Erythranthe lewisii, reproductive isolation is maintained almost exclusively through pollinator preference.[10] (contributed by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 04/17/2024).