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Scarlet Monkeyflower
Erythranthe cardinalis
  
51 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Scarlet Monkeyflower (Erythranthe cardinalis) 51 Nurseries Carry This Plant Scarlet monkeyflower is a herbacious perennial in the lopseed family. It is an attractive plant which bears red or orange-red flowers and toothed, downy leaves. It is native to the southwestern United States and Baja California. It is typically found in wetlands or moist areas. It can take full sun but seems to do better with part shade. It is sometimes used as a garden plant for its blooms, which attract hummingbirds. 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.

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.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Perennial herb

Size
Size
1.5 - 3 ft tall
3 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast, Moderate

Fragrance
Fragrance
None

Flower Color
Flower Color
Red, Orange

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer, Fall

Wildlife Supported
 
Hummingbirds love it

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 10 likely * ) SHOW ALL
*
Junonia coenia Image
Common Buckeye Junonia coeniaJunonia coenia
*
Euphydryas chalcedona Image
Variable Checkerspot Euphydryas chalcedonaEuphydryas chalcedona
*
Phyciodes mylitta Image
Mylitta Crescent Phyciodes mylittaPhyciodes mylitta
*
Euphydryas editha Image
Edith's Checkerspot Euphydryas edithaEuphydryas editha
*
Megalographa biloba Image
Bilobed Looper Moth Megalographa bilobaMegalographa biloba
*
Syngrapha ignea Image
Mountain Beauty Moth Syngrapha igneaSyngrapha ignea
*
Argyrotaenia franciscana Image
Orange Tortrix Moth Argyrotaenia franciscanaArgyrotaenia franciscana

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Part Shade, Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Keep moist

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 51

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow, Standing

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates sandy and clay soils. Tolerates Serpentine Soil. Soil PH: 4.0 - 9.0

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

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Other plants that would do well in a moist, partly shaded location include Seep Monkeyflower (Erythranthe guttata), Hedge Nettle (Stachy bullata), Blue Flax (Linum lewisii), Western Columbine (Aquilegia formosa), Douglas Iris (Iris douglasiana), and Stream Orchid (Epipactis gigantea).

Maintenance
Maintenance
Should be deadheaded to promote flowering and prevent floppy growth

Propagation
Propagation?
Readily reseeds itself.  For propagating by seed: No treatment.

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

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Typically found in wetland-riparian areas such as stream banks, bogs, meadows and other moist places over a large part of the state. Often found adjacent to somewhat drier habitats such as evergreen forest, foothill woodlands, chaparral, and grasslands

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 5.2" - 91.2", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 3.60", Coldest Month: 24.3" - 56.6", Hottest Month: 47.8" - 84.0", Humidity: 0.28" - 34.82", Elevation: -180" - 10461"

Alternative Names
Botanical Names: Diplacus cardinalis,Mimulus cardinalis,Mimulus cardinalis
Common Names: Cardinal 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


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