Al Schneider's Rocky Mountains Plant Descriptions

Seep Monkeyflower
Erythranthe guttata
Monkey-Flower family (Phrymaceae)

Seep Monkeyflower is common at many altitudes along and in streams. They are an eye-catching very bright yellow. hey can appear as scattered plants or they can be in masses. Watch for them whenever a small rivulet crosses your trail in the mountains. The plant's sap can be used to heal wounds as it has agents effective in contracting human tissue. The was named by Linnaeus in 1753; the name is derived from "mimus" ("buffoon") for the clownish appearance of the flower as you stare into the . "Guttatus" is from the Latin for "drops" or "specks" referring to the tiny red dots on the inside of the petals.


©2009 Walter Siegmund

Description

or , 4-20" tall, with yellow flowers comprised of petals forming a tube with 2 upper and 3 lower . Lower lip of flower has maroon spots and hairy . green is ridged and with upper tooth being the longest. Hollow stems support egg- or , sharply opposite leaves, that are often joined at base.

Field Marks

Bright yellow snap-dragon-like flowers growing in wet seeps.

© Al Schneider

An annual plant is a plant that completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seed, within one year, and then dies.

fused means joined together.

A perennial plant lives and blooms for many years.

lobe -- A rounded parts of a leaf (or other organ).

A herb is a plant whose stems die back to the ground in the winter.

corolla -- The name for all the petals of a flower taken together.

throat -- The opening of a flower.

Like the teeth on a saw, leaves and other surfaces can have toothed edges.

calyx -- the sepals of a flower, typically forming a whorl that encloses the petals and forms a protective layer around a flower in bud.

genus -- A subdivision of a botanical Family in which all members have a significant number of similar characteristics.

lanceolate -- Lance-shaped. Long, wider in the middle.