Mimulus laciniatus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mimulus laciniatusCutleaf monkeyflower |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
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Phrymaceae
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| Genus: |
Mimulus
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| Species: |
M. laciniatus
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| Binomial name | |
| Mimulus laciniatus |
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The Cutleaf monkeyflower (scientific name: Mimulus laciniatus) is a special and somewhat rare type of monkeyflower. It's a beautiful plant that you might not see very often.
What Does It Look Like?
The Cutleaf monkeyflower is an annual plant. This means it grows, flowers, and dies all in one year. Its stem can be anywhere from 3 to 38 centimeters tall. That's like the length of a small ruler to a bit over a foot! The stem usually doesn't have much fuzz on it.
Its leaves grow in pairs, one across from the other. They can be up to 5 centimeters long. Most leaves are oval, but some have cool, finger-like sections.
The plant produces several small, yellow flowers. Each flower has tiny red spots. They are about 4 millimeters to 1.5 centimeters long. These flowers grow in a cluster called a raceme. This means they are arranged along a central stem.
At the bottom of each flower is a tube-shaped part. This part is covered by a reddish, ribbed cup. This cup is made of special leaf-like parts called sepals. They help protect the flower.
Where Does It Grow?
The Cutleaf monkeyflower is a plant that is endemic to a specific place. This means it only grows naturally in one area. For this flower, that area is the High Sierra Nevada mountains in California.
It likes to grow in wet spots. You'll often find it in areas with granitic soils. These are soils that come from granite rock.
