Mimulus lewisii
Encyclopedia
Mimulus lewisii is a perennial plant in the family Phrymaceae
. It is named in honor of Meriwether Lewis
. Together with other species in Mimulus
section Erythranthe, it serves as a model system for studying pollinator-based reproductive isolation
.
and Rocky Mountains
populations), with a central pair of carotenoid
-rich yellow nectar guides covered in trichomes on the lower lobe of the corolla. Occasional populations of white-flowered individuals (which do not express anthocyanin
pigments in the corolla) are known.
to California
to Colorado
, where it grows in moist habitat such as streambanks, and is generally found at higher elevations in montane areas. It overlaps with its sister species, Mimulus cardinalis
, in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California.
. Although it is fully intefertile with its sister species, Mimulus cardinalis, the two do not interbreed in the wild, a difference ascribed primarily to pollinator differences (M. cardinalis is pollinated by hummingbirds) in areas of overlap. Traits affecting pollinator preference between these two species are currently under study, with evidence strongly linking this preference to color differences between the species.
Phrymaceae
Phrymaceae , also known as the Lopseed family, is a small plant family in the order Lamiales. It now consists of about 190 species, distributed worldwide but with the majority in western North America and Australia .Previously, this family was monotypic with the genus Phryma, and limited in...
. It is named in honor of Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis was an American explorer, soldier, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark...
. Together with other species in Mimulus
Mimulus
Mimulus is a diverse plant genus, the monkey-flowers and musk-flowers. The about 150 species are currently placed in the family Phrymaceae. The genus has traditionally been placed in Scrophulariaceae. The removal of Mimulus from that family has been supported by studies of chloroplast DNA first...
section Erythranthe, it serves as a model system for studying pollinator-based reproductive isolation
Reproductive isolation
The mechanisms of reproductive isolation or hybridization barriers are a collection of mechanisms, behaviors and physiological processes that prevent the members of two different species that cross or mate from producing offspring, or which ensure that any offspring that may be produced is not...
.
Description
Mimulus lewisii is a perennial herb, with stem length ranging from 25-80 cm and individual leaves ranging from 20-70 mm. The vegetative tissue is covered with fine hairs. The flowers are medium in size, set on fairly long (30-70 mm) pedicels, and range in color from pale pink (generally found in the Sierra Nevada populations) to dark magenta (more common in the Cascade RangeCascade Range
The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...
and Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
populations), with a central pair of carotenoid
Carotenoid
Carotenoids are tetraterpenoid organic pigments that are naturally occurring in the chloroplasts and chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthetic organisms like algae, some bacteria, and some types of fungus. Carotenoids can be synthesized fats and other basic organic metabolic building...
-rich yellow nectar guides covered in trichomes on the lower lobe of the corolla. Occasional populations of white-flowered individuals (which do not express anthocyanin
Anthocyanin
Anthocyanins are water-soluble vacuolar pigments that may appear red, purple, or blue according to pH...
pigments in the corolla) are known.
Distribution
Mimulus lewisii is native to western North America from AlaskaAlaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, where it grows in moist habitat such as streambanks, and is generally found at higher elevations in montane areas. It overlaps with its sister species, Mimulus cardinalis
Mimulus cardinalis
Mimulus cardinalis, the scarlet monkeyflower, 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....
, in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California.
Pollination
Mimulus lewisii is pollinated by bees (primarily Bombus and Osmia), which feed off of its nectar and transfer its pollenPollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
. Although it is fully intefertile with its sister species, Mimulus cardinalis, the two do not interbreed in the wild, a difference ascribed primarily to pollinator differences (M. cardinalis is pollinated by hummingbirds) in areas of overlap. Traits affecting pollinator preference between these two species are currently under study, with evidence strongly linking this preference to color differences between the species.