Mimulus alatus

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Mimulus alatus
Mimulus alatus 2.jpg
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Phrymaceae
Genus: Mimulus
Species:
M. alatus
Binomial name
Mimulus alatus
Mimulus alatus distribution map.png
Distribution of Mimulus alatus in the United States

Mimulus alatus, the sharpwing monkeyflower, is an herbaceous [2] eudicot perennial [3] that has no floral scent. [4] It is native to North America [3] and its blooming season is from June to September. The flowering plant has green foliage and blue to violet flowers. [5] It has a short life span compared to most other plants and a rapid growth rate. [6] Like other monkey-flowers of the genus Mimulus , M. alatus grows best in wet to moist conditions and has a bilabiate corolla, meaning it is two-lipped. The arrangement of the upper and lower lip petals suggests a monkey’s face. The winged stems together with the monkey face give the plant its common name. [7]

Contents

Taxonomy

The genus Mimulus has been removed from Scrophulariaceae and placed in the family Phrymaceae. In the 1990s, DNA sequences from chloroplast and nuclear genomes showed that Mimulus is not monophyletic; Glossostigma, Peplidium, Phryma , Leucocarpus, Hemichaena, and Berendtiella are all derived from Mimulus. As a result, Mimulus and its derived genera have been placed into the subfamily Phrymoideae and the family Phrymaceae. [8]

Distribution

Mimulus alatus is a native species to eastern North America; its range stretches from Connecticut, down south to Florida and extends as far west as Nebraska and Texas. It is most commonly found in central and lower Mississippi valley, and considered rare in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York and Ontario. [5]

Habitat

The sharp wing monkey-flower is a perennial that grows best under partial sun exposure and wet to moist conditions. It has been found in a variety of wetland types such as edges of small rivers, [4] swamps, shady stream banks, wet woods, marshes, [5] wet meadows, ditches, springs, etc. [2] Full sun is tolerable but when it is grown in habitats that are too dry and sunny, the sharp wing monkey-flower remains small in size and becomes yellowish green. During its season it can endure occasional flooding and foliar disease is infrequent. [4] It prefers a slightly acidic to neutral soil pH of 5.6-7.5 that contains plenty of organic matter. [4] Temperatures below -23 °F are not survivable. [6]

Morphology

Individuals of this species can range from 15 cm to 91 cm in height, depending on growth conditions. Its root system consists of taproot and thick rhizomes. [4] The flowers are bisexual and bilaterally symmetrical, [9] and most commonly blue to violet. [5] It has erect, hollow, smooth, square (4-angled) stems that sometimes branch off. [2] There are also thin wings along the angles of the stem. [5]

The glabrous opposite leaves in a decussate arrangement [2] are noticeably toothed (dentate to serrate) and are up to 12 cm long and 5 cm wide. They are ovate, lanceolate-ovate, or lanceolate, gradually narrowing to a sharp point at the apex. At the base are narrowly winged petioles about 1.2 cm long. [4]

Flowers

Flowers occur individually and are 2.5 cm long. Only a few flowers on the same plant are in bloom during the June to September season. [4] The two-lipped corolla is borne from 5 mm pedicels from the upper leaf axils. [2] At the center, or throat, of the corolla is a yellow region surrounded by a band of white; the yellow beard guides pollinators towards the flower. The upper lip consists of a pair of lobes that fold backwards to the side and the lower lip has three rounded lobes that spread outward and serve as a welcoming platform for pollinating insects. Unlike the stems and leaves, the flowers are not glabrous as they have fine white hairs on the surface of the corolla. [4] The 1.7 cm long, [2] tubular five-parted calyx has five teeth alongside its outer rim. When the corolla falls off, the calyx surrounds a 1 cm capsule that contains [4] many conspicuous black seeds. [6] Collected seeds have successfully germinated indoors. [10] At the base of the 1.5 cm corolla tube are four stamens – one short and one long pair. There is a 6 mm long, bilocular, light green, oval shaped ovary. White filaments are 6–7 mm long, with brownish 1.3 mm anthers. There is a white glabrous style of 7 mm long and two flattened stigmas. [2]

Pollination

Bumblebees (such as the Bombus pensylvanicus ) are attracted to the nectar of the flowers and are the primary pollinators. Leaves of the plant are eaten by the caterpillars of the moth Elaphria chalcedonia. [4] Butterflies and birds are also visitors to the sharp wing monkey-flower but there has been very little data collected for its floral-faunal relationships.

Similar species

At first glance Mimulus alatus is often confused with Mimulus ringens , or the square-stemmed monkey-flower, because M. alatus occurs in several of the same habitats that M. ringens does. However, close examination of the two monkey-flowers can help differentiate them. M. ringens has sessile leaves (no petiole) and pedicels that are greater than 1.2 cm in length, whereas M. alatus have winged petioles and its pedicels are much shorter than 1.2 cm. [4] The flowers of M. ringens are borne on pedicels longer than its calyx and for M. alatus, it is the opposite – its pedicels are shorter than its calyx. The leaves of M. ringens are weakly toothed [5] and stems unnoticeably winged. [11] Also, it is noted that M. ringens can tolerate wider ranges of habitat conditions whereas M. alatus is more conservative. [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>Mimulus</i> Genus of flowering plants

Mimulus is a plant genus in the family Phrymaceae, which was traditionally placed in family Scrophulariaceae. The genus now contains only seven species, two native to eastern North America and the other five native to Asia, Australia, Africa, or Madagascar. In the past, about 150 species were placed in this genus, most of which have since been assigned to other genera, the majority to genus Erythranthe.

<i>Erythranthe guttata</i> Species of aquatic plant

Erythranthe guttata, with the common names seep monkeyflower and common yellow monkeyflower, is a yellow bee-pollinated annual or perennial plant. It was formerly known as Mimulus guttatus.

<i>Erythranthe alsinoides</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythranthe alsinoides is a species of monkeyflower known by the common names wingstem monkeyflower and chickweed monkeyflower. It was formerly known as Mimulus alsinoides.

Erythranthe androsacea is a species of monkeyflower known by the common name rockjasmine monkeyflower. It was formerly known as Mimulus androsaceus.

<i>Erythranthe bicolor</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythranthe bicolor, the yellow and white monkeyflower, is a species of flowering plant in the lopseed family (Phrymaceae). It is endemic to California, United States. It was formerly known as Mimulus bicolor.

<i>Erythranthe breviflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythranthe breviflora is a species of monkeyflower known by the common name shortflower monkeyflower. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Wyoming to the Modoc Plateau and northern Sierra Nevada in California. It grows in moist areas in several types of habitat. It was formerly known as Mimulus breviflorus.

<i>Diplacus brevipes</i> Species of flowering plant

Diplacus brevipes is a species of monkeyflower known by the common name widethroat yellow monkeyflower. It was formerly known as Mimulus brevipes.

<i>Erythranthe dentata</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythranthe dentata is a species of monkeyflower known by the common names coastal monkeyflower and toothleaf monkeyflower. It is native to the western coast of North America from British Columbia to northern California, where it grows in moist habitat. It was formerly known as Mimulus dentatus.

<i>Erythranthe filicaulis</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythranthe filicaulis, known by the common name slender-stemmed monkeyflower, is a species of monkeyflower. It was formerly known as Mimulus filicaulis.

<i>Erythranthe floribunda</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythranthe floribunda is a species of monkeyflower known by the common name many-flowered monkeyflower. It is native to western North America from western Canada to California and northern Mexico, to the Rocky Mountains. It grows in many types of habitat, especially moist areas. It was formerly known as Mimulus floribundus.

<i>Diplacus fremontii</i> Species of flowering plant

Diplacus fremontii is a species of monkeyflower known by the common name Frémont's monkeyflower. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in mountain and desert habitat, especially moist or disturbed areas. It was formerly known as Mimulus fremontii.

Erythranthe gracilipes is an uncommon species of monkeyflower known by the common name slenderstalk monkeyflower. It was formerly known as Mimulus gracilipes.

<i>Erythranthe primuloides</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythranthe primuloides is a Western United States perennial plant in the lopseed family (Phrymaceae), known by the common name primrose monkeyflower. It was formerly known as Mimulus primuloides.

Erythranthe pulsiferae is a species of monkeyflower known by the common names candelabrum monkeyflower and Pulsifer's monkeyflower. It was formerly known as Mimulus pulsiferae. It is native to the western United States from Washington to northern California, where it grows in wet habitat such as streambanks. It is an annual herb growing 2 to 21 centimeters tall. The leaves occur in a basal rosette and oppositely along the stem, each on a short petiole and with an oval blade. The tubular base of the flower is encapsulated in a ribbed calyx of sepals with tiny pointed lobes. The flower is roughly a centimeter long and yellow in color, sometimes with red spotting or pink-tinged white coloration in the mouth.

Erythranthe purpurea is a species of monkeyflower known by the common name little purple monkeyflower. It was formerly known as Mimulus purpureus.

<i>Mimulus ringens</i> Species of flowering plant

Mimulus ringens is a species of monkeyflower known by the common names Allegheny monkeyflower and square-stemmed monkeyflower.

<i>Erythranthe rubella</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythranthe rubella is a species of monkeyflower known by the common name little redstem monkeyflower. It was formerly known as Mimulus rubellus.

<i>Erythranthe shevockii</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythranthe shevockii is a rare species of monkeyflower known by the common name Kelso Creek monkeyflower. It was formerly known as Mimulus shevockii.

<i>Erythranthe tilingii</i> Species of flowering plant

Erythranthe tilingii is a species of monkeyflower known by the common name Tiling's monkeyflower. It was formerly known as Mimulus tilingii.

<i>Diplacus torreyi</i> Species of flowering plant

Diplacus torreyi is a species of monkeyflower known by the common name Torrey's monkeyflower.

References

  1. ↑ NatureServe (2022). "Mimulus alatus". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer [web application]. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tenaglia, Dan. "Mimulus alatus Ait". Missouri Plants. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Mimulus alatas Aiton". United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Hilty, John. "Winged Monkeyflower". Illinois Wildflowers. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Mimulus alatus" (PDF). Michigan Natural Features Inventory. Michigan State University Board of Trustees. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 "Sharpwing Monkeyflower (Alatus)". Garden guides. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  7. ↑ Wherry, Edgar T. (1948). Wild Flower Guide . USA: Doubleday & Company, Inc. pp.  119.
  8. ↑ Beardsley, Paul M.; Olmstead, Richard G. (July 2002). "Redefining Phrymaceae: the placement of Mimulus, trible Mimuleae, and Phryma". American Journal of Botany. 89 (7): 1093–1102. doi:10.3732/ajb.89.7.1093. PMID   21665709 . Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  9. ↑ "Mimulus alatus". Native & naturalized plants of the Carolinas & Georgia. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  10. 1 2 Sharma, Valerie; Fellow, Polgar. "Habitats of the Monkeyflowers" (PDF). Hudson River Foundation. New York. p. V-31. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  11. ↑ Klein, Isabelle H. (1970). Wildflowers of Ohio and adjacent states. Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
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