Slender-stemmed monkeyflower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Slender-stemmed monkeyflower |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Erythranthe
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| Species: |
filicaulis
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The slender-stemmed monkeyflower (Erythranthe filicaulis) is a beautiful wild flower. It's a type of monkeyflower, and it used to be called Mimulus filicaulis.
Where It Grows
This special flower grows only in California, which means it is endemic to that state. You can find it in the high Sierra Nevada mountains, specifically in Mariposa and Tuolumne Counties.
It likes to grow in wet places. This includes mountain meadows and areas where the soil has been moved or disturbed.
What It Looks Like
The slender-stemmed monkeyflower can cover an area with its pretty pink flowers. It is an annual plant, meaning it grows from a seed, flowers, and dies within one year. It has a thin, straight stem that can grow up to about 30 centimeters (about 12 inches) tall.
Its leaves are long and narrow or oval-shaped, growing opposite each other on the stem. They are usually about 2 centimeters (less than an inch) long.
The Flowers
The flowers have a tube-like base. This base is covered by a ribbed, red-dotted cup called a calyx. The calyx has pointed parts that look like small leaves.
The main part of the flower, called the corolla, is pink. It has five rounded, slightly notched parts. The center of the flower is a deeper pink or purple. It also has a bright yellow spot on the raised folds of its lower parts. This flower blooms from April to August, depending on how high up in the mountains it is growing.
