Mimulus guttatus
| Mimulus guttatus | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Mimulus guttatus (common name: yellow monkey flower)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only lightly cover the seed[1]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
If you have sufficient seed it can also be sown in situ in late spring after the last expected frosts[1].
Division in spring[1]. Very easy, large divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.
Cuttings of softwood, 5cm long in spring or summer[1].
Cultivation: Prefers rather moist places such as damp borders, margins of streams and boggy spots[2][3]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Thrives in full sun so long as the soil does not dry out[1], otherwise it is best grown in partial shade[4]. Grows well in shallow water, but it can be invasive[1].
Hardy to at least -20°c[4].
There is some confusion over the naming of this plant, the entry on edibility may refer to M. luteus, which is closely related to this species.
Range: Western N. America - Alaska to Mexico. Naturalized in Britain.
Habitat: Streams and wet places below 3000 metres[4]. Banks of streams in Britain, where it appears quite native[5].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[6][7][8][9]. A slightly bitter flavour, they are added to salads[10][11]. The leaves are used as a lettuce substitute[12].
Medicinal: The plant is astringent, poultice and vulnerary[6][9][12]. A decoction of the leaves and stems has been used as a herbal steam bath for chest and back soreness[12]. A poultice of the crushed leaves has been applied to wounds, rope burns etc[12].
The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Fear or anxiety of a known origin'[13].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Sanders, Thomas. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge, 1926.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Sweet, Muriel. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co, 1962.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Arnberger, Leslie. Flowers of the Southwest Mountains. Southwestern Monuments, 1968.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Chancellor, Philip. Illustrated Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies. C W Daniel, 1985.