Mimulus tilingii
Encyclopedia
Mimulus tilingii is a species of monkeyflower
known by the common name Tiling's monkeyflower.
to California
to New Mexico
to Montana
. It grows in moist and wet habitats, such as streambanks and mountain meadows, and is generally found at high elevation.
perennial herb growing 2 to 35 centimeters tall. The oppositely arranged oval leaves may be several centimeters long and some are borne on short petioles
. The yellow flower may be over 4 centimeters long, its narrow tubular throat opening into a wide, two-lipped mouth. The base of the flower tube is encapsulated in a calyx of sepal
s with uneven lobes.
Mimulus tilingii is often nearly impossible to distinguish from its common relative, Mimulus guttatus
, as their characteristics can intergrade; one of the most notable differences is the arrangement of the flowers, which are axial in M. tilingii but in a raceme
in M. guttatus.
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...
known by the common name Tiling's monkeyflower.
Distribution
It is native to much of 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 New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
to Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. It grows in moist and wet habitats, such as streambanks and mountain meadows, and is generally found at high elevation.
Description
Mimulus tilingii is a rhizomatousRhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
perennial herb growing 2 to 35 centimeters tall. The oppositely arranged oval leaves may be several centimeters long and some are borne on short petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
. The yellow flower may be over 4 centimeters long, its narrow tubular throat opening into a wide, two-lipped mouth. The base of the flower tube is encapsulated in a calyx of sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s with uneven lobes.
Mimulus tilingii is often nearly impossible to distinguish from its common relative, Mimulus guttatus
Mimulus guttatus
Mimulus guttatus, the Common monkey-flower, is a yellow bee-pollinated annual or perennial herbaceous wildflower that grows along the banks of streams and seeps in western North America.-Description:...
, as their characteristics can intergrade; one of the most notable differences is the arrangement of the flowers, which are axial in M. tilingii but in a raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
in M. guttatus.