Erythranthe Cardinalis, Scarlet Monkeyflower

Erythranthe cardinalis is most widespread in California, along the coast, in various mountain ranges, and especially in the far southwest; its range extends to western Nevada, Arizona and the Zion National Park area of southwest Utah. Plants inhabit moist places, especially seeps and streamsides. Leaves are usually hairless, and sharply toothed, while stems are hairy. Leaves towards the top of the stem are clasping.

Flowers are attached by hairy pedicels of up to 3 inches; they have an orange-red corolla (occasionally yellow), with the upper, two-lobed lip angled forwards and the lower, three lobed lip curved back. The pale yellow stamens are slightly exserted.

This species is similar to erythranthe verbenacea, their ranges overlapping in Arizona and Utah, and may be distinguished by its shorter corolla tube, projecting less than half an inch beyond the calyx lobes - the corolla of erythranthe verbenacea projects by up to one inch.