Erythranthe lutea | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Phrymaceae |
Genus: | Erythranthe |
Species: | E. lutea
|
Binomial name | |
Erythranthe lutea | |
Synonyms[1] | |
and others |
Erythranthe lutea is a species of monkeyflower also known as yellow monkeyflower, monkey musk, blotched monkey flowers, and blood-drop-emlets.[2][3][4][5] It was formerly known as Mimulus luteus.[1][6][7][8]
E. lutea blooms in the summer and grows to about 30 centimetres (12 in) in height.[9] The flowers are yellow with irregular reg blotches and the leaves are hairy, paired, and round.[4] Because of its yellow petals, E. luteus is in the "yellow monkeyflower" group, unlike most members of the genus, which have red or pink petals.[10]
Some sources list Erythranthe lutea separately due to chromosomal variations.[11][12] Barker, etal (2012) proposes a new taxonomy for Phrymaceae, leaving only 7 species in Mimulus, none in Mimulus lutea, and placing 111 in Erythranthe. Barker also offers 4 different options for how to implement this new taxonomy.[1]
The luteus group consists of Erythranthe luteus var. variegatus, E. naiandinus and E. cupreus.[10]
Erythranthe lutea prefers to grow in wet habitats such as marshes and riverbanks. It grows in North and South America and has been naturalized in Britain,[5] having been first cultivated there circa 1826.[13]