Yellow and white monkeyflower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yellow and white monkeyflower |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Erythranthe
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| Species: |
bicolor
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The Erythranthe bicolor, also known as the yellow and white monkeyflower, is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the lopseed family, called Phrymaceae. This special plant grows only in California, United States. This means it is endemic to California. It used to be known by a different name, Mimulus bicolor.
What Does the Monkeyflower Look Like?
The yellow and white monkeyflower is an annual herb. This means it lives for only one year. It grows a stem that stands straight up and has tiny hairs. This stem can be anywhere from 4 to 27 centimeters (about 1.5 to 10.5 inches) tall.
Its leaves are long and narrow, or sometimes a bit oval-shaped. Each leaf can be up to 3 centimeters (about 1.2 inches) long. They grow in pairs directly across from each other on the stem.
The flower itself has a tube-like base. This base is surrounded by a reddish-green part called a calyx. The calyx is made of small, pointed sepals. The flower's petals, called the corolla, are about one to two centimeters (0.4 to 0.8 inches) long. They are shaped like two lips. The colors can change, but usually, the upper lip is white, and the lower lip is yellow. The upper lip has two parts, called lobes, and the lower lip has three lobes. Each of these lobes has two smaller tips at its very end.
Where Does the Monkeyflower Grow?
The yellow and white monkeyflower is found in the mountains and foothills of California. You can see it growing from the Klamath Range all the way through the Sierra mountains to the Tehachapi Mountains.
This plant likes to grow in places that are moist or wet. It often grows in clay soils, which can hold a lot of water.
