Mimulus guttatus DC.
Fully-hardy, upright to spreading, vigorous perennial with funnel-shaped yellow flowers, often spotted or marked red to purple-brown at the throat, in summer. To 30cm. [RHSE, Hortus]. It is sometimes regarded as a form of Mimulus luteus L.
Horticultural & Botanical History
Introduced to Britain in 1812. [JD]. Curtis's Botanical Magazine suggests that Mimulus luteus was first grown at the Cambridge Botanic Garden under the name M. Langsdorfii, but this plant is almost certainly Mimulus guttatus. ‘This beautiful species of Mimulus was found by Dr. Langsdorff, who was attached, as naturalist, to the Russian Embassy to China. He brought it, as we are informed, from Unashka, one of the Fox Islands, and seeds were transmitted to Mr. Hunneman last spring, and through him to Mr. Donn, curator of the Botanic Garden at Cambridge, who kindly communicated to us in July last the specimen from which our drawing was made, under the name of Mimulus Langsdorfii which we should have adopted, had it proved, as was supposed, a new discovery. But the same species was found in Chili, by Father Feuillee, and has been long ago described and figured in his work, as above quoted. From him Linnaeus inserted it in his Species Plantarum, with the specific name of luteus. It was found also in California and at Nootka, by Mr. Archibold Menzies’. [BM t.1501/1812]. The leaves of M. guttatus can be eaten as a salad. [PD].
History at Camden Park
Listed only in the 1850 and 1857 catalogues [H.148/1850].
Notes
Published Apr 22, 2009 - 09:37 AM | Last updated Sep 05, 2011 - 02:45 PM
Mimulus guttatus DC. | BM t.1501/1812 | BHL
| Family | Scrophulariaceae |
|---|---|
| Category | |
| Region of origin | North America |
| Synonyms |
|
| Common Name | Gap mouth, Common large monkey flower |
| Name in the Camden Park Record | Mimulus guttatus
|
| Confidence level | high |
