Seep Monkey Flower, Erythranthe guttata

About Seep Monkey Flower (Erythranthe guttata) 36 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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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.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Annual herb, Perennial herb

Size

2 - 5 ft tall
0.6 ft wide

Form

Upright

Growth Rate

Fast

Dormancy

Winter Deciduous

Fragrance

None

Flower Color

Yellow

Flowering Season

Spring, Winter

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 2 confirmed

, 8 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Mylitta Crescent Phyciodes mylittaPhyciodes mylitta

Annaphila lithosinaAnnaphila lithosina

Common Buckeye Junonia coeniaJunonia coenia

Variable Checkerspot Euphydryas chalcedonaEuphydryas chalcedona

Edith's Checkerspot Euphydryas edithaEuphydryas editha

Bilobed Looper Moth Megalographa bilobaMegalographa biloba

Mountain Beauty Moth Syngrapha igneaSyngrapha ignea

Landscaping Information

Sun

Part Shade, Full Sun

Moisture

Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / week once established

Nurseries

Carried by 36

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to -15° F

Soil Drainage

Slow, Standing

Soil Description

Tolerates a variety of soils as long as adequate drainage is provided. Soil PH: 5.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Bogs and Ponds, Deer Resistant, Hummingbird Gardens, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Use with other plants that need moist soil such as Scarlet Monkeyflower (Mimulus cardinalis), Stream Orchid (Epipactis gigantea), Hedge Nettle (Stachys bullata), and various Carex and Juncus species

Maintenance

Deadhead for a better appearance and to prolong blooming, or leave old flowers in place to encourage re-seeding.

Propagation?

Usually self-sows. For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Sunset Zones?

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7*, 8*, 9*, 10, 11, 12, 14*, 15, 16, 17, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24

Natural Setting

Site Type

Wet places, terrestrial, emergent or floating in mats

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 4.4" - 126.2", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 3.94", Coldest Month: 19.3" - 61.4", Hottest Month: 44.6" - 88.8", Humidity: 0.04" - 40.42", Elevation: -253" - 10662"

Alternative Names

Botanical Names: Mimulus guttatus,Mimulus microphyllus,Mimulus glabratus ssp. utahensis,Mimulus whipplei
Common Names: Common Large Monkeyflower, Common Monkeyflower, Common Yellow Monkeyflower, Seep Monkey-flower, Seep Monkeyflower, Yellow Monkey Flower

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Seep Monkey Flower

Erythranthe guttata

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Seep Monkey FlowerErythranthe guttata

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Seep Monkey Flower

Erythranthe guttata