About Erythranthe shevockii (Heckard & Bacig.) N.S.Fraga
Growth Habit
Erythranthe shevockii is an annual herb that reaches up to about 12 centimeters tall, with a very slender, often red stem.
Leaf Characteristics
Its oppositely arranged oval leaves are each no more than one centimeter long, and sometimes fuse together in pairs around the stem.
Flower Calyx
The tubular base of the flower is enclosed in a red or red-spotted calyx made of sepals.
Flower Structure
The flower is roughly one centimeter long, with a narrow tube throat and a wide face.
Corolla Coloration
The corolla is split into a deep maroon red upper lip and a wider lower lip that is yellow with red dots.
Hybridization
This plant sometimes hybridizes with its relative, Mimulus androsaceus.
Distribution
Erythranthe shevockii is endemic to the southern Sierra Nevada in Kern County, California, where it is known from around 10 occurrences near Lake Isabella.
Habitat
It grows in granitic alluvial soils in dry washes and Joshua tree woodlands in the transition zone between the Sierra Nevada and the Mojave Desert.
