Sticky Monkey Flower

(Mimulus aurantiacus)

 

Sticky Monkey Flower blooms at Lobos Creek dunes.

Will Elder, NPS

 

Origin Of Genus Name: Mimulus is Latin for "little mime or comic actor," for the face-like corolla.

Presidio Locations: Found throughout the dunes, coastal scrub and serpentine bluffs.

Range In State: Throughout California.

Description: This native shrub has smooth to hairy leaves that are sticky with a resin that protects against desiccation. The long stems have main leaves that have axials with clusters of smaller leaves. Its yellowish-orange flowers have petals shaped like a tube. Blooms July to September.

Native Californian Uses: The Coast Miwok placed the crushed leaves on sores and burns. The roots have been used to treat fever, dysentery, diarrhea, and to curtail hemorrhages. The Pomo have used a decoction made from Sticky Monkey Flower to treat sore, bloodshot eyes which affected many of the men and women who lived in smoky, poorly ventilated dwellings. The flowers commonly have been used to ornament Miwok wreaths and children's hair.

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