Puneet Varma (Editor)

Erythranthe cardinalis

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Kingdom
  
Family
  
Scientific name
  
Mimulus cardinalis

Rank
  
Species

Order
  
Genus
  
Erythranthe

Higher classification
  
Mimulus

Erythranthe cardinalis Image Erythranthe cardinalis Scarlet Monkeyflower BioLibcz

Similar
  
Mimulus, Erythranthe lewisii, Erythranthe guttata, Diplacus aurantiacus, Phrymaceae

Erythranthe 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. It was formerly known as Mimulus cardinalis.

Contents

Erythranthe cardinalis Erythranthe cardinalis

Description

Erythranthe cardinalis Erythranthe cardinalis

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.

Cultivation

Erythranthe cardinalis Erythranthe cardinalis

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.

Pollination

Erythranthe cardinalis wwwqjurecomsitesdefaultfilesMimuluscardinal

Its blooms and large nectar load attract hummingbirds, whose foreheads serve as the pollen transfer surface between flowers. In the area where it overlaps with its sister species, Erythranthe lewisii, reproductive isolation is maintained almost exclusively through pollinator preference.

Erythranthe cardinalis Scarlet Monkey Flower Mimulus cardinalis Xeriscape Landscaping

References

Erythranthe cardinalis Wikipedia


Similar Topics