Death Valley Monkeyflower
Mimulus rupicola
Color: Pale pink
Common name: Death Valley Monkeyflower
Latin name: Mimulus rupicola
Family: SCROPHULARIACEAE
Height: .3-6.5 inches
Description: Mimulus rupicola is a perennial herbaceous plant with faintly pinkish flowers with a magenta-purple spot on each lobe.
Leaf: The leaves are oblanceolate 2-6 cm long.
Range: n Desert Mountains (Cottonwood, Funeral, Grapevine, Last Chance, n Panamint ranges)
Habitat: UNCOMMON. Limestone crevices
Elevation: 300–1800 m.
Flowering time: Feb–early Jun
Notes: Although quite rare, the Death Valley monkeyflower can be found in shaded limestone crevices on steep canyon walls in the mountains bordering Death Valley, and the sky islands in the northern Mojave Desert. This photo was taken on May 17, 2011 in the Last Chance Mountain Range, Death Valley National Park, Inyo County, California. Mimulus rupicola, a dicot, is an annual herb that is native to California and is endemic (limited) to California alone. It is included in the CNPS Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants on list 4.3 (limited distribution).
We have an online wildflower field guide that is designed to help you identify desert wildflowers by color, scientific name, region and common name. The pictures are sized to work on the iPod, iPhone, iPad and similar devices. With your iPod or phone you will easily be able to identify wildflowers while in the desert. Links for downloads are on the bottom of the Wildflower Field Guide page.
Photo tips: Most digital point-and-shoot cameras have a macro function - usually symbolized by the icon of a little flower. When you turn on that function, you allow your camera to get closer to the subject, looking into a flower for example. Or getting up close and personal with a bug. More on desert photography.
Mojave Desert Wildflowers - This book is the standard by which all other wildflower books are measured. The author, Jon Mark Stewart, has combined super photography with concise information. This book has an entire color page for each wildflower covered, with a discussion of the wildflower. 210 pages with 200 color photos. More...
What's Blooming Now - Check the Wildflower Reports
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