Sticky Monkey Flower

Posted on September 28, 2006 by joelignacio

As I was walking to the carpool from work on Monday, I noticed a low growing plant with yellow flowers in a landscaped area near a park. At first glance, I thought it was an Orchid, but that would be silly… so I took a closer look and had to take a photo.

Last night, I posted the photo on Flickr and someone identified it as a Sticky Monkey Flower.

href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeysplanting/254779997/"> alt="Sticky Monkey Flower"
src="http://static.flickr.com/104/254779997_68bc9cede6_m.jpg"
style="background-color: white; padding: 10px; border: solid 1px #999999;"
>    href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeysplanting/255416495/"> alt="Sticky Monkey Flower Cutting"
src="http://static.flickr.com/121/255416495_ee98e35d88_m.jpg"
style="background-color: white; padding: 10px; border: solid 1px #999999;"
>

I got curious about the plant, especially the name… So I took zip-lock in hand with a moist paper towel and set out to take a cutting on my way to the carpool from work.

Now, I know why this plant has “sticky” in it’s name… It’s leaves are sticky!!!… but I took a small cutting and brought it home… and potted it up.

I hope it survives.

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  • http://plantgirl.livejournal.com/ plantgirl

    Mimulus!

    I’m surprised your photo has such yellow flowers. Mimulus guttatus has yellow flowers, is low growing, and lives on stream banks where it can keep its feet wet. Mimulus aurantiacus (aka Diplacus aurantiacus) usually has orange (sometimes reddish) flowers, and needs full sun & excellent drainage.

    Both are California natives. (Actually, I know the M. guttatus grows all the way up into Washington, and possibly into B.C.) I’m particularly fond of M. aurantiacus. You can see it blooming all along Hwy 17 in the mid-late summer months, as well as elsewhere in the Sierra foothills, around the bay, & throughout the coast range.

    My ex, G, & I jokingly refer to it as oop-ack (like the noise a monkey might make).

  • http://turtleinashell.livejournal.com/ turtleinashell

    I’ve seen the more tame version of mimulus before in a nursery/greenhouse, but I didn’t realize there was one that actually is native to anywhere in the U.S. They’re very pretty flowers. (The relatives I’ve seen aren’t sticky.)

  • http://meighan2.livejournal.com/ meighan2

    It’s called Mimulus tropicana