Erythranthe_cardinalis

<i>Erythranthe cardinalis</i>

Erythranthe cardinalis

Species of flowering plant

Erythranthe cardinalis, the scarlet monkeyflower,[1][2] is a flowering perennial in the family Phrymaceae. Together with other species in Mimulus section Erythranthe, it serves as a model system for studying pollinator-based reproductive isolation. It was formerly known as Mimulus cardinalis.[3][4][5][6]

Quick Facts Erythranthe cardinalis, Scientific classification ...

Description

Erythranthe cardinalis is a perennial herb that grows 1–3 feet (30–91 cm) tall.[7] It is a fairly large, spreading, attractive plant which bears strongly reflexed, nectar-rich red or orange-red flowers and toothed, downy leaves. It is native to the West Coast and Southwestern United States and Baja California, and is generally found at low elevation in moist areas. Occasional populations of yellow-flowered Erythranthe cardinalis (which lack anthocyanin pigments in their corollas) are found in the wild.[8]

Cultivation

Erythranthe cardinalis is cultivated in the horticulture trade and widely available as an ornamental plant for: traditional gardens; natural landscape, native plant, and habitat gardens; and various types of municipal, commercial, and agency sustainable landscape projects. Cultivars come in a range of colors between yellow and red, including the "Santa Cruz Island Gold" variety, originally collected from Santa Cruz Island off the coast of California.

In the UK it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[9] A short-lived perennial, it is often grown as an annual. It requires a wet, poorly-drained soil in full sun, in a sheltered position.[9]

Pollination

Its blooms and large nectar load attract hummingbirds, whose foreheads serve as the pollen transfer surface between flowers. In the area where it overlaps with its sister species, Erythranthe lewisii, reproductive isolation is maintained almost exclusively through pollinator preference.[10]

References

  1. [1]
    BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. [2]
    USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Mimulus cardinalis". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  3. [3]
    Barker, W.R.; Nesom, G.L.; Beardsley, P.M.; Fraga, N.S. (2012), "A taxonomic conspectus of Phrymaceae: A narrowed circumscriptions for Mimulus, new and resurrected genera, and new names and combinations" (PDF), Phytoneuron, 2012–39: 1–60
  4. [4]
    Beardsley, P. M.; Yen, Alan; Olmstead, R. G. (2003). "AFLP Phylogeny of Mimulus Section Erythranthe and the Evolution of Hummingbird Pollination". Evolution. 57 (6): 1397–1410. doi:10.1554/02-086. JSTOR 3448862. PMID 12894947. S2CID 198154155.
  5. [5]
    Beardsley, P. M.; Olmstead, R. G. (2002). "Redefining Phrymaceae: the placement of Mimulus, tribe Mimuleae, and Phryma". American Journal of Botany. 89 (7): 1093–1102. doi:10.3732/ajb.89.7.1093. JSTOR 4122195. PMID 21665709.
  6. [6]
    Beardsley, P. M.; Schoenig, Steve E.; Whittall, Justen B.; Olmstead, Richard G. (2004). "Patterns of Evolution in Western North American Mimulus (Phrymaceae)". American Journal of Botany. 91 (3): 474–4890. doi:10.3732/ajb.91.3.474. JSTOR 4123743. PMID 21653403.
  7. [7]
    "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  8. [8]
    Vickery 1992
  9. [9]
    "Mimuls cardinalis". www.rhs.org. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  10. [10]
    Ramsey, Justin (2003). "Components of Reproductive Isolation Between the Monkeyflowers Mimulus Lewisii and M. Cardinalis (Phrymaceae)". Evolution. 57 (7): 1520–1534. doi:10.1111/j.0014-3820.2003.tb00360.x. PMID 12940357. S2CID 1825275.
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