Diplacus bigelovii – “Bigelows Monkeyflower”

Other Botanical Names: Mimulus bigelovii
Family: Lopseed (Phrymaceae)
Bloom Period: Feb-Jun
Form: Annual
Habitat: Gravelly soils, rocky slopes and washes
Leaves: Elliptical to round, ending in a point; may be purple; alternate
Translation: “Diplacus” is Greek for “double plates,” which describes the shape of the seed capsule when it opens; “Mimulus,” according to Charters, “may come either from the Greek mimo, ‘an ape,’ because of a resemblance on the markings of the seeds to the face of a monkey, or from the Latin mimus, ‘an actor or mimic,’ because the flower is like the mouthpiece of one of the grinning masks worn by classical actors”; “bigelovii” is named for John M. Bigelow, MD, (1804-1878), a U.S. botanical collector.