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Phrymaceae
Monkey Flower
Mimulus guttatus
Cheerfulness, sensitivity, weakness conquered.
- Family
- Phrymaceae
- Genus
- Mimulus
- Native to
- Western North America
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- Herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 15–60 cm
- Sunlight
- Full sun to part shade
- Soil
- Wet, boggy, or moist
- Water
- High; loves wet feet
- Hardiness
- 6–9
- Lifespan
- Short-lived perennial; reseeds
Did you know
- The name comes from the Latin mimus ('a mime' or actor) — the flower's open face is said to resemble a grinning monkey.
- Monkey flowers are 'thigmonastic' — touch the stigma and the two halves snap closed within seconds, ensuring the visiting bee deposits pollen.
- Mimulus has become a model organism in evolutionary biology because closely related species hybridize easily, helping scientists study how new species form.
- It thrives in seeps, streamsides, and even mineral-rich hot springs where most plants can't survive.
- Some species are pollinated by hummingbirds and others by bees, and a single genetic change can flip a population from one pollinator strategy to the other.
Color meanings
Yellow
Bright optimism