section Simiolus
Member of
stalked monkeyflowers (genus Erythranthe)
monkeyflowers (family Phrymaceae)
dicots (class Magnoliopsida)
flowering plants (subphylum Angiospermae)
It could be argued that seep monkeyflower (Erythranthe guttata) and magnificent seep monkeyflower (Erythranthe grandis) are either the same species, or form a species complex that is insufficiently distinguishable by the current literature. Guy Nesom’s 2014 paper claims that the two are morphologically distinct, but it goes on to describe the central California population of E. grandis as “guttata-like.” In any case, this paper doesn’t describe what distinguishing features are supposedly present.
I’ve tried using Jepson’s eFlora to distinguish the two species, but it didn’t go well. Given that I change my ID for this population from year to year, I suspect that any size differences between the two “species” have more to do with the growing conditions than with genetics. Wikipedia gives an overview of the back-and-forth debate among researchers, which it summarizes as follows: “While E. grandis has recently been raised to the species level, it could also be regarded as a coastal perennial ecotype of E. guttata.”
magnificent seep monkeyflower (Erythranthe grandis) is supposedly more salt tolerant, and most observations are directly on the coast, but Jepson says it can also occur around seeps and creeks, and Calflora does have a few observations inland.
4 observed taxons / 1 key
Locations: Months: For more details, use advanced search.
Chris’s observations: 35 (23 are research grade)
Taxon info: iNaturalist
Bay Area species: iNaturalist
