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Erythranthe lewisii
Also called Lewis's monkeyflower, Great purple monkeyflower, Purple monkeyflower, Lewis's Monkey Flower, Pink Monkeyflower, Red Monkeyflower
Lewis' monkeyflower is a perennial herb native to moist, high-elevation stream banks in western North America, known for its showy purple to pink flowers. It grows best in consistently damp soil and full sun, and is cultivated mainly in mild or coastal gardens.
Erythranthe lewisii (Lewis' monkeyflower, great purple monkeyflower) is a perennial plant in the family Phrymaceae. It is named in honor of explorer Meriwether Lewis. Together with other species in Erythranthe, it serves as a model system for studying pollinator-based reproductive isolation. It was formerly known as Mimulus lewisii.
Erythranthe lewisii is native to western North America from Alaska to California to Colorado, where it grows in moist habitat such as stream banks, and is generally found at higher elevations in montane areas.
This plant is cultivated as an ornamental in mild or coastal areas, as it does not tolerate prolonged freezing. In the UK it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. It prefers a very damp soil in full sunlight.
Cardinal monkey flower · Small Leaved Monkeyflower · Ephemeral Monkeyflower · Erythranthe naiandina · Erythranthe peregrina · Monkeyflowers
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Erythranthe lewisii by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
