Monkeyflower's cheery blossoms brighten gardens

Lewis Monkeyflower (Erythranthe lewisii) is one of many plants whose family classification and genus name were changed based on DNA analysis used extensively in the 21st century to discover the genetic links between plants. Formerly known as Mimulus lewisii, Lewis Monkeyflower was discovered by the Lewis and Clark expedition across the Louisiana Purchase to the Pacific coast (1803-1806). The species name is in honor of Meriwether Lewis, while the new genus name is derived from Greek words meaning “red bloom.”

This handsome herbaceous perennial is native to western North America from Alaska to California, east to Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. It favors moist soil and abundant sun. Often found in boggy mountain meadows and along streambanks, Lewis Monkeyflower blooms from early summer to early fall.

Growing in clusters and low mounds, Lewis Monkeyflower can reach as high as four feet and spread several feet wide. The rich green leaves are oblong (one to three inches long) with pointed tips and toothed margins. They appear opposite each other in pairs attached directly to the main stem.

Showy brilliant pink to magenta flowers extend singly from the upper leaf axils on one to two inch stems. The bilaterally symmetrical, trumpet-shaped flowers have five petals joined at the base and flared outward. Two petals form the upper lip and three make up the lower lip of the blossom. Maroon blotches and a lightly hairy yellow mark on the lower lip decorate the throat. 

These cheery blossoms, with a little imagination, can be said to resemble a comic smile or a grinning monkey. This impression led to the original genus name of Mimulus, derived from Latin “mime” meaning “actor” or “mimic,” and is probably the source of the common name “Monkeyflower.”

Both the striking color and specific scent compounds produced by the plant attract a variety of pollinators, especially hummingbirds and bumble bees, making Lewis Monkeyflower a good choice for a sunny pollinator garden as well as rain gardens, ponds and beside water features. The plant spreads by rhizomes primarily, though the oblong capsule fruits produce many tiny seeds. Lewis Monkeyflower is relatively disease free and deer resistant.

Pictures and a description of Lewis Monkeyflower are found on page 172 in “Landscaping with Native Plants in the Idaho Panhandle,” a KNPS publication available at local bookstores and the Bonner County History Museum. Additional native plants can be viewed at the North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum, 611 S. Ella Ave., Sandpoint.

Native Plant Notes are created by the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society. To learn more about KNPS and the North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum, go online to nativeplantsociety.org.