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Mimulus luteus

Common name:	Monkey Musk	Family:	Scrophulariaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	60, 200
Synonyms:	Mimulus tilingii caespitosus ((Greene.)A.L.Grant.), Mimulus smithii (Auct.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S. America - Chile. Naturalized in Britain.
Habitat:	Wet places[60]. Locally naturalized by streams in Scotland.
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	M. alpinus[B,P] M. caespitosus[B,P] M. caespitosus var. implexus[B,P] M. implexus[B] M. luteus var. alpinus[B,P] M. scouleri var. caespitosus[B,P] M. tilingii var. caespitosus[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Subalpine Monkeyflower [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	luteus = yellow;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Scrophulariales. Figwort family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.3m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 7. It is in flower from July to August. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 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.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Bog Garden.

Edible Uses

Leaves.

Leaves - raw or cooked[105, 257]. Eaten as greens[257].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers rather moist places such as damp borders, margins of streams and boggy spots[1]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Thrives in full sun so long as the soil does not dry out[200].
Hardy to about -20°c[187].
There is some confusion over the naming of this plant, the entry on edibility may refer to M. guttatus, which is closely related to this species[161, 200].
Hybridizes with M. guttatus[187].

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

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Mimulus tilingii var. caespitosus (a possible synonym).

[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.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

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]).

[60] Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955
A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Mimulus+luteus
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Mimulus+luteus

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