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Lewis' Monkeyflower
Mimulus lewisii
  
8 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Lewis' Monkeyflower (Mimulus lewisii) 8 Nurseries Carry This Plant Mimulus lewisii (Lewis' Monkeyflower or Great Purple Monkeyflower) is a perennial herb in the Phrymaceae (Lopseed) family. It is native to western North America from Alaska to California to Colorado, where it grows in moist habitat such as streambanks at elevations between 5,000 and 10,000 ft. In California it is found primarily in the Sierras. It is named in honor of Meriwether Lewis. This is a mountain species that requires higher elevations, snow in winter, cool temperatures in summer, and plenty of water. The flowers are attractive to hummingbirds. This would be a nice plant if your garden is in Mammoth Lakes or Truckee.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Perennial herb

Size
Size
0.8 - 2.6 ft tall

Dormancy
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous

Flower Color
Flower Color
Pink, Purple, Red

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Summer

Wildlife Supported
 
Hummingbirds

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 9 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
*
Annaphila miona Image
Annaphila mionaAnnaphila miona

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / week once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 8

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to -10° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Medium

Soil Description
Soil Description
Prefers rich, moist, loamy soil. Soil PH: 5.0 - 7.0

Common uses
Common uses
Deer Resistant, Hummingbird Gardens, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Trees: White Fir (Abies concolor), Rocky Mountain Maple, (Acer glabrum), Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis), Pine (Pinus contorta or monticola), Cottonwood (Populus sp.), Canyon Oak (Quercus chrysolepis)

Shrubs: Pine Mat Manzanita (Arctostaphylos nevadensis), Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii or sericea), Honeysuckle (Lonicera sp.), Currant/Gooseberry (Ribes spl.), and Huckleberry (Vaccinium sp.)

Herbs: Sitka Columbine (Aquilegia formosa), Larkspur (Delphinium sp.), Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum), Gentian (Gentianella or Gentianopsis sp.), Pink Alumroot (Heuchera rubescens), Alpine Lily (Lilium parvum), other Mimulus sp., Idaho Blue Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium idahoense), and Viola sp.

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
1*, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Streambanks, seeps at mid-to-high elevations in the Sierras

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 14.0" - 108.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.25" - 3.82", Coldest Month: 21.9" - 50.5", Hottest Month: 45.6" - 77.3", Humidity: 0.70" - 25.16", Elevation: 483" - 10080"

Alternative Names
Botanical Names: Diplacus lewisii
Common Names: Great Purple Monkeyflower, Lewis' 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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