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Mimulus guttatus

Mimulus guttatus: Flower
Photo by Derrick Ditchburn. High resolution version

Common name:	Yellow Monkey Flower	Family:	Scrophulariaceae
Author:	Fisch. ex DC.	Botanical references:	17, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Western N. America - Alaska to Mexico. Naturalized in Britain.
Habitat:	Streams and wet places below 3000 metres[187]. Banks of streams in Britain, where it appears quite native[17].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	M. arvensis[B,P] M. bakeri[B,P] M. brachystylis[B,P] M. clementinus[B,P] M. cordatus[B,P] M. cuspidata[B,P] M. decorus[B,P] M. equinnus[B,P] M. glabratus var. ascendens[B,P] M. glareosus[B,P] M. grandiflorus[B,P] M. grandis[B,P] M. guttatus ssp. arenicola[B,P] M. guttatus ssp. arvensis[B,P] M. guttatus ssp. haidensis[B,P] M. guttatus ssp. litoralis[B,P] M. guttatus ssp. littoralis[P] M. guttatus ssp. micranthus[B,P] M. guttatus ssp. scouleri[B,P] M. guttatus var. arvensis[B,P] M. guttatus var. decorus[B,P] M. guttatus var. depauperatus[B,P] M. guttatus var. gracilis[B,P] M. guttatus var. grandis[B,P] M. guttatus var. hallii[B,P] M. guttatus var. insignis[B,P] M. guttatus var. laxus[B,P] M. guttatus var. lyratus[B,P] M. guttatus var. microphyllus[B,P] M. guttatus var. nasutus[B,P] M. guttatus var. puberulus[B,P] M. hallii[B,P] M. hirsutus[B,P] M. langsdorfii[B,P] M. langsdorfii var. argutus[B,P] M. langsdorfii var. arvensis[B,P] M. langsdorfii var. californicus[B,P] M. langsdorfii var. grandis[B,P] M. langsdorfii var. guttatus[B,P] M. langsdorfii var. insignis[B,P] M. langsdorfii var. microphyllus[B,P] M. langsdorfii var. minimus[B,P] M. langsdorfii var. nasutus[B,P] M. langsdorfii var. platyphyllus[B,P] M. laxus[B,P] M. longulus[B,P] M. luteus var. depauperatus[B,P] M. luteus var. gracilis[B,P] M. lyratus[B,P] M. maguirei[B,P] M. marmoratus[B,P] M. micranthus[B,P] M. microphyllus[B,P] M. nasutus[B,P] M. nasutus var. micranthus[B,P] M. paniculatus[B,P] M. pardalis[B,P] M. parishii[B,P] M. petiolaris[B,P] M. prionophyllus[B,P] M. procerus[B,P] M. puberulus[B,P] M. puncticalyx[B,P] M. rivularis[B,P] M. scouleri[B,P] M. subreniformis[B,P] M. tenellus[B,P] M. thermalis[B,P] M. unimaculatus[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Gele Maskerbloem [D], Monkeyflower [L], Seep Monkey-flower [B], Seep Monkeyflower [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	guttatus = spotted
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Scrophulariales. Figwort family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.6m by 0.6m . It is hardy to zone 6. It is in flower from July to September. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist or wet soil and can grow in water.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Pond, Bog Garden.

Edible Uses

Leaves.

Leaves - raw or cooked[94, 105, 155, 172]. A slightly bitter flavour, they are added to salads[161, 183]. The leaves are used as a lettuce substitute[257].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Astringent Bach Poultice Vulnerary.

The plant is astringent, poultice and vulnerary[94, 172, 257]. A decoction of the leaves and stems has been used as a herbal steam bath for chest and back soreness[257]. A poultice of the crushed leaves has been applied to wounds, rope burns etc[257].
The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Fear or anxiety of a known origin'[209].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers rather moist places such as damp borders, margins of streams and boggy spots[1, 111]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Thrives in full sun so long as the soil does not dry out[200], otherwise it is best grown in partial shade[187]. Grows well in shallow water, but it can be invasive[200].
Hardy to at least -20° c[187].
There is some confusion over the naming of this plant, the entry on edibility may refer to M. luteus, which is closely related to this species.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only lightly cover the seed[200]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
If you have sufficient seed it can also be sown in situ in late spring after the last expected frosts[200].
Division in spring[200]. Very easy, large divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.
Cuttings of softwood, 5cm long in spring or summer[200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for mimulus guttatus (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

References for the family Scrophulariaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[94] Sweet. M. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co. 1962 ISBN 0-911010-54-8
Useful wild plants in Western N. America. A pocket guide.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[111] Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926
A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.

[155] Arnberger. L. P. Flowers of the Southwest Mountains. Southwestern Monuments Ass. 1968
A lovely little pocket guide to wild plants in the southern Rockies of America.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[209] Chancellor. P. M. Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies C. W. Daniel Co. Ltd. 1985 ISBN 85207 002 0
Details the 38 remedies plus how and where to prescribe them.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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