Seep Monkey Flower
Mimulus guttatus
(M. nasutus)
Photographed at Mesquite Wash, Maricopa Co., Arizona. April 2008.
FLOWERS: Yellow, two-lipped flowers. The green calyx below the corolla
is asymmetrical - some teeth are much larger than others - also, the calyx expands as fruit matures.
ANNUAL: Along riparian stretches that remain damp this succulent,
herbaceous plant may develop perennial rizomes below soil. Robust plants can
be a meter tall and wide.
LEAVES: Leaves are mostly orbicular but can be quite small or large from
population to population, or depending on moisture availability. Leaf margins
typically with rounded teeth.
RANGE: Frequent throughout the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and Mexico
along intermitent streams especially in canyons with plenty of moist sand.
Flowering mostly in mid to late spring.
FRUIT: Dry capsules with many seeds.
UNARMED.
A The Common Buckeye is often associated with this plant because the caterpillar eats the foliage. The caterpillars are dark brown to nearly black and beset with spiny scoli. Follow the thumb link at right for more info.