Image: Carson Valley monkeyflower, Erythranthe carsonensis
Description: Carson Valley monkeyflower, Erythranthe carsonensis, Sierra Nevada, Humboldt Toiyabe National Forest, Carson Valley drainage, elevation 1560 m (5120 ft). Also visible are miniature monkeyflower (Erythranthe suksdorfii, left) and leaves of rosy sandcress (Calyptridium roseum). Jumping out of chronology again to post these photos from another rare plant survey. Carson Valley monkeyflower was recognized as a distinct species by Naomi Fraga in 2012, after having been confused with Erythranthe (=Mimulus) montioides since its discovery in the mid 1800s. It is a rare plant species, known only from Washoe Valley, Eagle Valley, and Carson Valley of Carson City, Douglas County, and southern Washoe County Nevada, and a small portion of adjacent Alpine County, California. Previous reports from farther north in Washoe County were based on misidentified specimens, and it has been found nowhere else in the western United States despite extensive searches. The species grows mainly in sagebrush-bitterbrush vegetation on sandy soils of the valley bottoms and adjacent lower slopes, and has been significantly impacted by urban and residential development. Favorable conditions in spring of 2016 allowed for extensive surveys and discovery of large new populations. Some of the new populations are on public lands well removed from immediate development, but the majority are still within or adjacent to ongoing urban and residential expansion.
Title: Carson Valley monkeyflower, Erythranthe carsonensis
Credit: Carson Valley monkeyflower, Erythranthe carsonensis
Author: Jim Morefield from Minden, Nevada, USA
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
License: CC BY-SA 2.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
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