Erythranthe calciphila
| Erythranthe calciphila | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Erythranthe calciphila in bloom | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Phrymaceae |
| Genus: | Erythranthe |
| Species: | E. calciphila |
| Binomial name | |
| Erythranthe calciphila | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Erythranthe calciphila, commonly known as the Mexican moss monkeyflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Phrymaceae. It is a small annual herb native to southeastern Arizona and northern Mexico. It grows in moist, sheltered places beneath rock ledges and along canyon walls within otherwise dry mountain landscapes.[2][3]
The species was originally described in the genus Mimulus and was transferred to Erythranthe in 2012.[4]
Description
Erythranthe calciphila is a small annual herb with fibrous roots. It does not produce rhizomes or stolons. The plant may be nearly hairless or sparsely covered with short, soft hairs and stalked glands.[3]
The stems are generally upright and slender. Unlike some related monkeyflowers, they do not creep along the ground, form mats, or take root at the nodes.[3]
The leaves are oppositely arranged. Lower leaves have short petioles, while the upper leaves may be nearly sessile. The blades are rounded to egg-shaped and usually have shallow teeth along their margins. They are palmately veined, and the upper leaves are only slightly smaller than those below.[3]
Flowers are produced singly from many of the leaf axils. They are held on slender stalks that become more noticeable as the fruit develops.[3]
The calyx is pale green to green and bilaterally symmetrical. It may be hairless or sparsely covered with hairs and stalked glands. Its teeth are unequal, with the upper tooth longer than the others. As the fruit matures, the dorsal teeth close over the opening and the calyx becomes somewhat inflated around the capsule.[3]
The corolla is yellow, bilaterally symmetrical, and occasionally marked with a few red spots. It has a narrow tubular base that widens toward the opening. The corolla lobes have smooth, entire margins.[3]
The stamens remain inside the corolla. The anther sacs are reflexed and hairless, and the stigma is club-shaped. The fruit is an oblong, pointed capsule that remains enclosed within the persistent calyx. The seeds are small, oval, and brown.[3]
Flowering and fruiting have been recorded during late summer and early autumn.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by American botanist Howard Scott Gentry as Mimulus calciphilus in 1947. Guy L. Nesom transferred it to the genus Erythranthe in 2012 during a broader reclassification of species formerly placed in Mimulus.[4]
The current name was published as:
- Erythranthe calciphila (Gentry) G.L.Nesom, Phytoneuron 2012-39: 43. 2012.[4]
The specific epithet calciphila means "limestone-loving" and refers to the plant's association with calcareous or limestone-influenced habitats.[3]
Plants of the World Online recognizes Erythranthe calciphila as an accepted species. It lists Mimulus calciphilus as a homotypic synonym and Mimulus minutiflorus as a heterotypic synonym.[2]
Although the IPNI nomenclatural entry records the family as Scrophulariaceae, modern classifications place the species in Phrymaceae.[4][2]
Distribution
Erythranthe calciphila is native to southeastern Arizona and northern Mexico.[2]
The Arizona flora treatment records the species from Cochise County, including the Chiricahua and Huachuca Mountains. Documented locations include Cave Creek Canyon and Glance Canyon.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species grows in moist microsites beneath rock ledges and along sheltered canyon walls. These sites occur within otherwise dry mountain landscapes, where shade and seepage or seasonal moisture create suitable conditions for germination and flowering.[3]
As an annual, E. calciphila completes its life cycle during favorable periods. Its abundance and visibility may vary considerably from year to year depending on rainfall and the persistence of moisture beneath rock ledges.[2]
Similar species
Erythranthe calciphila belongs to a group of yellow-flowered monkeyflowers with unequal calyx teeth and calyces that become enlarged around the developing fruit.[3]
It resembles Erythranthe guttata but is generally much smaller. Its upper leaves are not strongly reduced, and its fruiting flower stalks are relatively elongated. In comparable forms of E. guttata, the upper leaves are usually more noticeably reduced and the fruiting stalks are generally shorter.[3]
It differs from mat-forming species such as Erythranthe parvula by having upright rather than creeping stems. Its corolla lobes also have smooth margins rather than conspicuously fringed edges.[3]
Conservation
NatureServe has not assigned Erythranthe calciphila a numerical global conservation rank. It is listed as GNR, meaning that its global conservation status has not been ranked. It is likewise unranked nationally in the United States and within Arizona.[1]
The species has no status under the United States Endangered Species Act.[1]
The absence of a numerical NatureServe rank should not be interpreted as evidence that the species is secure. Its Arizona populations occur at the northern edge of a broader Mexican range, and available floristic sources describe it as uncommon or locally rare in Arizona.[1][3]
Additional information is needed about its full Mexican distribution, population sizes, habitat condition, year-to-year fluctuations, and possible threats. Because it is an annual dependent on moist microsites within arid mountains, its abundance may change considerably with seasonal rainfall.
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Erythranthe calciphila". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Erythranthe calciphila (Gentry) G.L.Nesom". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Hansen, Kimberly; Johnson, Elizabeth; Phillips, Kirstin Olmon; Talboom, Joseph; Ayers, Tina (2016). "Vascular plants of Arizona: Phrymaceae" (PDF). Canotia. 12: 1–21. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Erythranthe calciphila (Gentry) G.L.Nesom". International Plant Names Index. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Herbarium. Retrieved 21 July 2026.