Page authors: Ben Legler, David Giblin
Erythranthe alsinoides
chickweed monkey-flower, wing-stem monkey-flower
Specimens
Photos

Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California.

Habitat: Shady, vernally (springtime) moist places on cliffs and ledges, especially at low elevations; often growing in moss mats.

Flowers: April-June

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Annual

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Description:
General:

Annual, glandular-hairy to somewhat glabrous (smooth), growing to 0.5-3 dm. in height. The plants are slender, and have either a simple or freely-branching form. Often found growing in uniformly dense patches. The stems frequently appear somewhat reddish.

Leaves:

Opposite, slightly to evidently-toothed, 3-5 prominent veins on the upper surface. The blades are 0.5-2.5 cm. long, with a petiole of more or less equal length.

Flowers:

The yellow corollas fuse to form an upper and lower lip (bilabiate), and grow 8-14 mm. long. A conspicuous reddish-brown blotch is found on the lower and sometimes the upper lip. Individual flowers are attached to the stem by a long pedicel.

Fruit:

Capsule.

Identification Notes:

The reddish-brown blotch on the lower lip is very diagnostic along with its annual life cycle and tendency to be found in moss mats. The middle lobe of the lower lip tends to be the longest and somewhat curved backwards (deflexed). The lower two teeth of the calyx tend to be more rounded and longer than the upper three calyx teeth.

Accepted Name:
Erythranthe alsinoides (Douglas ex Benth.) G.L. Nesom & N.S. Fraga
Publication: Phytoneuron 2012-39: 1–60. 2012.

Synonyms & Misapplications:
Mimulus alsinoides Douglas ex Benth. [HC]
Additional Resources:

PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Erythranthe alsinoides in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.

WA Flora Checklist: Erythranthe alsinoides checklist entry.

OregonFlora: Erythranthe alsinoides information.

E-Flora BC: Erythranthe alsinoides atlas page.

CalPhotos: Erythranthe alsinoides photos.

USDA Plants: Erythranthe alsinoides information.

55 photographs:
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