Tricolor monkeyflower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tricolor monkeyflower |
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| Scientific classification | |
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Diplacus
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| Species: |
tricolor
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The Tricolor Monkeyflower (scientific name: Diplacus tricolor) is a beautiful wild plant. It is a type of monkeyflower, which are known for their colorful, often spotted flowers. This plant grows naturally in Oregon and California in the United States.
You can find Tricolor Monkeyflowers in places that get wet at certain times of the year. This includes meadows and special puddles called vernal pools. These pools fill with water in winter and spring, then dry up in summer. The plant grows in areas like the San Joaquin Valley and near oak woodlands in northern California. It used to be called Mimulus tricolor.
What Does the Tricolor Monkeyflower Look Like?
The Tricolor Monkeyflower is a small plant that lives for only one year. This means it sprouts from a seed, grows, flowers, makes new seeds, and then dies, all within a single year. It usually grows up to about 14 centimeters (about 5.5 inches) tall.
Leaves and Stems
Its leaves grow in pairs, one on each side of the stem. They are a bit hairy and shaped like a wide spear, growing up to about 4.5 centimeters (about 1.8 inches) long.
The Flower's Appearance
The flowers of the Tricolor Monkeyflower are very striking. Each flower can be up to 5 centimeters (about 2 inches) long. The main part of the flower, called the corolla, is shaped like a narrow tube at the bottom. This tube comes out of a cup-like structure called the calyx, which is made of small leaf-like parts called sepals.
The wide opening of the flower is a deep pink color. Inside, near the center, you'll see a mix of white and yellow spots. Each of the five main parts, or lobes, of the flower's opening has a large maroon (dark reddish-brown) spot at its base. This combination of colors gives the flower its "tricolor" name.
