About Mimulus alatus Aiton
Mimulus alatus Aiton, commonly called sharp wing monkey-flower, is a perennial herb. Individuals of this species range from 15 cm to 91 cm in height, varying based on growth conditions. Its root system is made up of a taproot and thick rhizomes. It has erect, hollow, smooth, square (4-angled) stems that sometimes branch, with thin wings running along the stem angles. Its flowers are bisexual, bilaterally symmetrical, and most often blue to violet in color. Its glabrous opposite leaves are arranged in a decussate pattern, are noticeably toothed (dentate to serrate), and reach up to 12 cm long and 5 cm wide. Leaves are shaped ovate, lanceolate-ovate, or lanceolate, and gradually narrow to a sharp point at the apex. At the base of each leaf is a narrowly winged petiole that is around 1.2 cm long.
Mimulus alatus is native to eastern North America. Its range extends from Connecticut south to Florida, and west as far as Nebraska and Texas. It is most common in the central and lower Mississippi valley, and is considered rare in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, and Ontario.
This species grows best in partial sun and wet to moist conditions. It occurs in a wide variety of wetland habitats, including edges of small rivers, swamps, shady stream banks, wet woods, marshes, wet meadows, ditches, and springs. It can tolerate full sun, but if grown in too dry and sunny a habitat, it stays small and turns yellowish green. During its growing season, it can withstand occasional flooding, and foliar disease is uncommon. It prefers slightly acidic to neutral soil, with a pH between 5.6 and 7.5, that is rich in organic matter. It cannot survive temperatures below -23 °F.
Bumblebees, including Bombus pensylvanicus, are the primary pollinators of Mimulus alatus, attracted to the nectar produced by its flowers. The caterpillars of the moth Elaphria chalcedonia feed on this plant's leaves. Butterflies and birds also visit the sharp wing monkey-flower, but very little data has been collected about the plant's broader floral-faunal relationships.
