# monkeyflowers (*Erythranthe*)

Monkeyflowers are bright and cheerful flowers that often grow near water. They have fun, trumpet-shaped blooms that can be yellow, pink, or purple, making them look like little smiles in nature!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Wetlands

![monkeyflowers](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Erythranthe_peregrina.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Mario Vallejo-Marin, Ph.D., CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Erythranthe_peregrina.jpg)

## Appearance

The monkeyflowers has brightly colored, often bi-colored, tubular flowers that resemble a grinning monkey's face. Petals typically have two upper lobes and three lower lobes, often with spots or stripes, creating a distinctive, whimsical appearance.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Lamiales
- **Family:** Phrymaceae
- **Genus:** Erythranthe

## Interesting facts

- Native Americans used some types for traditional remedies and dyes.
- Some monkeyflowers were once known by the scientific name Mimulus!
- Their seeds are tiny, like dust, easily carried by wind or water.
- They belong to the snapdragon family, sharing a similar flower shape.

## Special abilities

- **Water Wanderer:** Some monkeyflowers can disperse their tiny seeds by water, allowing them to colonize new areas along streams and rivers.
- **Sticky Shield:** Certain monkeyflower species have sticky stems that can trap small insects, protecting the plant from hungry pests.
- **Color Communicator:** Their vibrant petals often display guiding lines or spots that act as 'nectar guides' to direct pollinators to the flower's center.
- **Adaptable Survivor:** Some monkeyflowers can tolerate harsh conditions like heavy metal soils by absorbing and neutralizing toxins.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 15-90 cm
- **Spread:** 20-60 cm
- **Flower Size:** 2-5 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring to late fall
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Gathers nectar and pollen from the flowers.
- **Pollinates:** western bumblebee (*Bombus occidentalis*) — Buzz-pollinates the anthers for pollen release.
- **Eaten by:** [white-tailed deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-tailed-deer) (*Odocoileus virginianus*) — Browses on the leaves and tender shoots.
- **Eaten by:** beet armyworm (*Spodoptera exigua*) — Larvae can feed on leaves and flower parts.

## Traits

- [Ornamental](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ornamental): Ornamental plants are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal, enhancing landscapes and gardens with their attractive foliage, flowers, or form.
- [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth.
- [Tube Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/tube-flower): A tube flower has petals fused together at the base, forming a distinct tubular structure that typically holds nectar deep within.
- [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.

## Collections

- [Flowers](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/flowers)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always look but don't touch flowers in nature, as some can be delicate.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify monkeyflowers?

Count the petals where you can, then compare the flower's center, its symmetry, how the blooms are grouped and the leaves below. Color varies between garden varieties and shifts with the light. Flower Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is monkeyflowers?

15-90 cm

### How wide does monkeyflowers spread?

20-60 cm

### How big are the flowers on monkeyflowers?

2-5 cm

### When does monkeyflowers bloom?

Spring to late fall

### Is monkeyflowers edible?

No

### Is monkeyflowers toxic?

None

### What is monkeyflowers's lifecycle?

Perennial

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Monkeyflowers: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/monkeyflowers)