Michigan monkey (Erythranthe michiganensis)
Description
Erythranthe michiganensis (formerly Mimulus glabratus var. michiganensis and Mimulus michiganensis) is a rare species of flowering plant in the lopseed family, known by the common name Michigan monkeyflower. It is the only plant endemic to the American state of Michigan, where it occurs only in the Grand Traverse and Mackinac Straits areas. It is restricted to a specific type of habitat, and one that is being degraded and lost to development. It was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States in 1990. The Erythranthe michiganensis aquatic or semi-aquatic plant produces matlike clumps of decumbent stems up to 36 centimetres long. The stems root at nodes that come in contact with wet substrate and there send up new stems. Many clumps containing hundreds of stems may all belong to a single genetic individual. The oppositely arranged leaves have toothed edges. Flowers grow from the leaf axils, each borne on a pedicel often longer than the leaves. The tubular yellow flower is 1.6 to 2.7 centimeters long and has a wide mouth with two lobes on the upper lip and three on the lower lip. The lower lip and throat may be speckled with red. The lower lip is coated in yellow hairs. It serves as a landing spot for pollinating insects, however, the plant produces little viable pollen, so it is likely that most of the reproduction is vegetative via stolons, rather than sexual via seed. Biological dispersal then takes place as pieces break off and float downstream. Blooming occurs in mid-June through mid-July, and sometimes extends into August, or rarely September or October.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum:
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Lamiales
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Family: Phrymaceae
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Genus: Erythranthe
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