Monkey Flower

sticky monkey flower

monkey flower, also spelled monkeyflower, any of about 150 species of herbaceous or, rarely, shrubby plants of the lopseed family (Phrymaceae), all of which were formerly placed in a single genus Mimulus. The taxonomy of the group was thoroughly revised to better reflect evolutionary relationships, and many species were moved from Mimulus (now 7 species) to Erythranthe (111 species), Diplacus (46 species), and certain small genera. The plants are distributed worldwide but are particularly common in western North America. A number of species are cultivated as ornamentals for their attractive flowers.

Monkey flower plants have opposite, undivided leaves and solitary flowers with a two-lipped open corolla (fused petals). The flowers of some species are said to resemble a monkey’s face. The herbaceous species typically grow most abundantly in wet areas, usually near running water.