| Mimulus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mimulus ringens | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Phrymaceae |
| Genus: | Mimulus L. |
| Species | |
Presently some 150, but see text | |
| Synonyms | |
Erythranthe, and see text | |
Mimulus/ˈmɪmjuːləs/,[1] also known asmonkeyflowers,[citation needed] is aplantgenus in thefamilyPhrymaceae, which was traditionally placed in familyScrophulariaceae. The genus now contains only seven species, two native to eastern North America and the other five native to Asia, Australia, Africa, or Madagascar.[2] In the past, about 150species were placed in this genus, most of which have since been assigned to other genera, the majority to genusErythranthe.
Mimulus species prefer wet or moist areas and are not drought resistant.[3] Several are cultivated as ornamental garden plants. Thecultivar 'Highland Red' has received theRoyal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit.[4]
Mimulus is based on theLatin wordmimus ('mimic', especially in the context of acting). This may have to do with the flowers seeming to have grinning faces resembling those of monkeys.[5]
The color patterns ofMimulus flowers are determined by an inverted repeat in the YELLOW UPPER (YUP) genetic locus.[6] YUP causes production of phase-patternedsiRNAs that regulate colorcarotenoids. YUP itself evolved from a fragment of acytochrome protein unrelated to flower coloration.
Before the 2012 restructuring, two large groups of species had long been recognized in the genusMimulus as it was traditionally defined, with the largest group of species in westernNorth America, and a second group withcenter of diversity inAustralia. In the 2012 restructuring ofMimulus by Barker, et al., based largely upon DNA evidence, seven species were left inMimulus, 111 placed intoErythranthe (species with axileplacentation and longpedicels), 46 placed intoDiplacus (species with parietal placentation andsessile flowers), two placed inUvedalia, and one each placed inElacholoma,Mimetanthe, andThyridia.[2][7][8]
Removal ofMimulus from family Scrophulariaceae has been supported by studies ofchloroplastDNA first published in the mid-1990s.[9] Multiple studies of chloroplast DNA and two regions of nuclearrDNA[10] suggest that the generaPhryma,Berendtiella,Hemichaena,Leucocarpus,Microcarpeae,Peplidium,Glossostigma, andElacholoma are all derived from withinMimulus and would need to be rearranged.[11]
The species remaining inMimulus are:[2]
