Yellow Monkey Flower, Seep monkeyflower
Mimulus guttatus
Family: Scrophulariaceae
What it is like
Mimulus guttatus is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.6 m (2ft in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6. It is in flower from July to September. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil and can grow in water.
Height (m): 0.6
Where it is found
Streams and wet places below 3000 metres. Banks of streams in Britain, where it appears quite native.
Western N. America - Alaska to Mexico. Naturalized in Britain.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Leaves - raw or cooked. A slightly bitter flavour, they are added to salads. The leaves are used as a lettuce substitute.
Medicine
Rating: 2
The plant is astringent, poultice and vulnerary. A decoction of the leaves and stems has been used as a herbal steam bath for chest and back soreness. A poultice of the crushed leaves has been applied to wounds, rope burns etc. The plant is used in Bach flower remedies - the keywords for prescribing it are 'Fear or anxiety of a known origin'.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Bach: Plants used in the Bach flower remedies.
Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.
Vulnerary: Promotes the healing of wounds.
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Prefers rather moist places such as damp borders, margins of streams and boggy spots. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Thrives in full sun so long as the soil does not dry out, otherwise it is best grown in partial shade. Grows well in shallow water, but it can be invasive. Hardy to at least -20°c. 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.
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only lightly cover the seed. 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. Division in spring. 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.
Best place to grow: Pond; Bog Garden;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 5-9
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist, wet, water