Erythranthe guttata – “Seep Monkeyflower”

Also Known As: Seep Spring Monkeyflower, Common Monkeyflower, Common Yellow Monkeyflower, Yellow Monkeyflower, Golden Monkeyflower
Other Botanical Names: Mimulus guttatus
Family: Scrophulariaceae (Figwort)
Bloom Period: Apr-Jun
Form: Annual herb
Habitat: Moist places such as seeps, springs and streams
Leaves: Round to ovate, lobed; opposite
Translation: “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”; “guttatus” is Latin for “drop, spot or speck” which refers to the red dots marking the flower.
Notes: Popular in the nursery trade for landscaping.
Native American Uses: The Kawaiisu treated chest and back soreness with a steam bath of the stems and leaves. The Shoshone tended wounds and rope burns with a poultice of the leaves. The Yavapai drank a tea for stomachaches.
Animal Associations: Pollinated by bees, hummingbirds and the Dogface butterfly, the official state insect of California. Host plant for Mylitta Crescent butterfly.