Bigelow's Monkeyflower
Mimulus bigelovii
Photographed in the Colorado Desert portion of Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA. 01 May 2010.
RANGE: This ephemeral plant is common in the Mojave Desert from
northwest Arizona into California. It is also found in the Colorado Desert, a
subunit of the Sonoran, of southeastern California. It grows in sandy washes
with gravel that is seasonally damp.
FLOWERS: Magenta-pink flowers are large compared to the diminutive size
of the plant. In the throat of the flowers there is golden yellow and usually
also a maroon spot to each side. Blooming mostly in spring, but only in
years with generous rainfall.
ANNUAL: Spring annual mostly less than 20 cm
tall; generally growing erect and with conspicuous hirsuteness.
LEAVES: Leaves are lanceolate and like the stems and sepals they are
covered with soft hairs. The leaves are opposite on stems.
FRUIT: Dry capsule with a number of seeds.
UNARMED.