Seep Monkeyflower :

Common Monkeyflower, Large Monkeyflower
Erythranthe guttata
NATIVE

Description (Jepson, PlantID.net)

Eudicotyledon
- Eudicots are a major lineage of flowering plants; see family for general characteristics
Lopseed Family (Phrymaceae)
Annual or herbaceous perennial, branches to 20 in.
- Grows from a rhizome (horizontal underground stem)
Leaves
- Opposite (2 leaves at each junction with stem), on petioles (leaf stalks)
- Toothed margins
- Up to 5 in. long
Flowers
- Inflorescence (flower arrangement) a raceme (unbranched stem with stalked flowers opening from the bottom up) of 3-20 yellow flowers with orange-red dots, from the leaf axil (junction with stem)
  - Flowers grow in pairs on long pedicels (stalks of single flowers)
  - Bracts (modified leaves) at the base of the pedicels are opposite and fused
- Trumpet-shaped, bilaterally-symmetrical flowers with 5 fused petals
  - 2 upper lobes stand upright
  - 3 lower lobes, with dots serving as nectar-guide markings, create a landing platform for pollinators
- Ovary superior (above the attachment of other flower parts)
Fruit an oval capsule (a dry, multi-chambered fruit that is dehiscent [splits open])
Height to 3 ft.

Distribution

Native to California
- Grows in wet areas, seeps, and streams; in grasslands, woodlands, and coastal chaparral
- See Calflora for statewide observations of this plant
Outside California, grows in Western North America including Alaska, western Canada, Rocky Mountains, northern Mexico; introduced in northeastern United States, eastern Canada
Grows at elevations to 8,000 ft.

Uses (San Mateo County Parks prohibits removal of any natural material)

Wildlife
- Nectar source for hummingbirds and for moths, bees, and other insects
Native people
- Ate the young leaves as salad greens or boiled (Anderson 2005)
- Used as decoction of stems and leaves for steam bath for chest and back soreness, poultice of crushed leaves applied to wounds or rope burns, and decoction taken as tea for stomachache

Name Derivation

Erythranthe (er-ih-THRAN-thee) – from Greek erythros, “red,“ and anthos, “flower”
guttata (guh-TAH-tuh) – from the Latin for “a drop-like spot,” from the spots on the lower lip
Seep – commonly found near water seeps, springs, and ditches
Monkeyflower – flower shape suggests a mime or monkey
- Seep monkeyflower used to be in the genus Mimulus, named possibly
  - From the Greek mimo, “ape,” because markings on the flowers (or seeds) resemble the face of a monkey
  - Or from the Latin mimus, “an actor or mimic,” because the flower resembles the mouthpiece of a grinning mask worn by classical actors

Notes

Two-part stigma (pollen-receiving part of the pistil/female structure) closes when touched to capture pollen carried by arriving pollinator and to prevent self-pollination as the pollinator backs out (Breckling 2008)
- If pollen from another flower has not been deposited, the stigma will continue to open and close until pollen is finally received (Borenstein 2010)
- You can induce this closing by lightly pressing the center of the stigma with a fingernail or pencil tip; the stigma will reopen in a few moments
  - Watch this short video showing a monkeyflower stigma being induced to close (Columbines 2025)
Seep monkeyflowers have been used as model organisms (non-human species studied extensively to understand broad biological principles); see Lopseed family for details
Erythranthe vs. Mimulus – In 2012, the scientific name for seep monkeyflower changed from Mimulus guttatus to Erythranthe guttata
- Based on DNA work, the genus Mimulus, which previously contained all monkeyflowers, was divided into six genera
Monkeyflower cultivars (plant varieties produced by selective breeding) are popular in native plant gardens due to their adaptability, color choices, and appeal to pollinators (Borenstein 2010)

ID Tips

Edgewood has 3 other monkeyflowers: the diminutive purple mouse-ears (D. douglasii), small-leaved monkeyflower (Erythranthe microphylla), and sticky monkeyflower (D. aurantiacus)

	Purple Mouse-ears	Small-leaved Monkeyflower	Seep Monkeyflower	Sticky Monkeyflower
Growth Habit	annual herb	annual herb	annual/perennial herb	shrub
Height	≤ 1.6 in.	≤ 1 ft.	≤ 2 ft.	≤ 4 ft.
Flowers	magenta with gold-striped throat	yellow	yellow with orange-red spots	yellow-orange
Leaves	ovate	elliptic to round	ovate to round	narrowly elliptic to linear
Habitat	usually serpentine barrens	seeps and streambanks	seeps and swales	coastal scrub, chaparral, woodland openings
Trails	upper Clarkia and upper Sunset	upper woodland of Edgewood	lower Clarkia	common, especially on lower Clarkia

At Edgewood

Found in fertile grasslands, particularly on the Clarkia trail
- See iNaturalist for observations of this plant
Flowers January – October

Specific References

Anderson, M.K. 2005. Tending the Wild. University of California, Berkeley.

Columbines School of Botanical Studies. 2025, May 11. Sensitive Stigmas [Video]. Facebook.

Breckling, B. 2008. Spring Wildflowers of Henry W. Coe State Park and the Inland San Francisco Bay Area. Pine Ridge Association.

Rozema, M. 2024, Apr. 10. Monkeyflower. Mark Rozema.

Wegryzn and Yuan Lab. 2025. Mimulus guttatus. Mimubase: Mimulus Genome Quick Start. University of Connecticut.

General References

Calflora Database. 2014. Berkeley, California.

Calscape. 2018. California Native Plant Society.

Corelli, T. 2004. Flowering Plants of Edgewood Natural Preserve (2nd. ed.). Monocot Press, Half Moon Bay, California.

Elpel, T.J. 2013. Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification. HOPS Press, Pony, Montana.

Regents of the University of California. Jepson eFlora. Jepson Herbarium. University of California, Berkeley.