Search / Plant Profile / Mimulus ringens var. colpophilus

Plant Profile

Estuary Monkeyflower (Mimulus ringens var. colpophilus)

Beautiful shot of the species Mimulus ringens in flower. Photo Credit: John A. Lynch

Global Rank: T2 - Imperiled
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Phrymaceae
State: ME, QC, VT
Nature Serve ID: 143434
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection: 08/13/1986

Description:

Mimulus ringens var. colpophilus is a variety of monkeyflower with a highly restricted distribution from Maine to Quebec. It grows only in freshwater wetlands, usually tidal areas with fluctuating water levels. As a possible adaptation to its specialized habitat, the plant has a compact architecture with short internodes (distances between leaf pairs along the stem) and small leaves. It is known only from twelve localities in the U. S. and its status in Quebec is largely unknown. Threats to the long-term survival of this species include destruction of its wetland habitat, sea-level rise leading to an increase in salinity, and competition from invasive wetland species. Research and Management Summary: Much more ecological and genetic work is needed on this taxon to determine its distribution, its distinctiveness as a taxon, its taxonomic relationship to other varieties within the Mimulus ringens complex, and its rarity and conservation needs. Plant Description: Mimulus ringens var. colpophilus is a perennial, herbaceous plant with a square stem up to 1.3 m tall that arises from a rhizome. Leaves 2.5 to 5.0 cm long are arrayed oppositely on the stem at intervals of 1.5 to 2.5 cm. The showy, irregular, lavender-purple flowers vaguely resemble the flat, comical face of a monkey. In the variety colpophilus, the lobes of the calyx are only 1.5 to 2.5 mm long (half as long as variety ringens), and the flowers are borne on short pedicels only 1 to 1.7 cm long.

Where is Estuary Monkeyflower (Mimulus ringens var. colpophilus) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Mimulus ringens var. colpophilus is found in muddy, tidal, river embayments of Merrymeeting Bay, Maine and the St. Lawrence river in Quebec (Gleason and Cronquist 1991, Haines and Vining 1998, NatureServe 2001). Merrymeeting Bay is a large estuary that is tidal but receives little salt influence (Haines 2001). Such freshwater tidal wetlands contain many specialized and rare plant species that are able to tolerate twice-daily tidal fluctuations, and are highly productive areas in terms of plant and animal biomass. Haines (personal communication) has observed Mimulus ringens var. colpophilus growing on a """"mud and silt-covered cobble and ledge"""" in Merrymeeting Bay, associated with other herbaceous species normally found in freshwater tidal wetlands. Mimulus ringens (sensu lato) also occurs in Merrymeeting Bay, but typically on finer sediments. The species is also reported from Vermont, but no published information was available at the time of writing on its habitat there (NatureServe 2001).

Distribution:

Maine, Quebec, and reported from Vermont.

States & Provinces:

Estuary Monkeyflower can be found in Maine, Quebec, Vermont

Which CPC Partners conserve Estuary Monkeyflower (Mimulus ringens var. colpophilus)?

Native Plant Trust

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 06/09/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

09/19/2020

Jeffrey Karron (Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee), is conducting several studies on the reproduction and evolution of Mimulus ringens (sensu lato)

09/19/2020

In preliminary trials growing Mimulus ringens var. colpophilus and Mimulus ringens at the garden, an overlap in morphological traits were noted among the plants, raising questions about the validity of recognizing a separate variety. However, the two taxa flowered at different times, indicating that reproductive isolation may occur (W. E. Brumback, New England Wild Flower Society, personal communication)

09/19/2020

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

Mimulus ringens var. colpophilus is found only in Merrymeeting Bay, which is part of the Kennebec River estuary in Maine, and in estuaries of the St. Lawrence River system, Quebec, Canada. Twelve current element occurrences are known from Maine and it is not known how many occurrences there are in Quebec. Threats to its habitat are filling, dumping, and development.

Elizabeth J. Farnsworth

01/01/2010

As articulated by NatureServe (2001), by Ewing (2001) for the related Mimulus moschatus, and by Haines (2001) for Merrymeeting Bay, threats to this species include: Changing hydrology (tidal amplitude, quality and quantity of freshwater, etc.) in est

Elizabeth J. Farnsworth

01/01/2010

Twelve occurrences are recorded from Maine, and one herbarium record (at the New England Botanical Club collection, Cambridge, Massachusetts) from Vermont. The number of current occurrences in Quebec is not known. It is impossible to estimate global population numbers due to the paucity of information on this taxon.

Elizabeth J. Farnsworth

01/01/2010

The New England Wild Flower Society (Framingham, Massachusetts) has experimented with germinating seed of Mimulus ringens var. colpophilus. Seed germinates immediately after harvesting; no pre-treatment is required (Brumback 1989). Resulting plants have been potted and brought to flowering stage successfully. In preliminary trials growing Mimulus ringens var. colpophilus and Mimulus ringens at the garden, an overlap in morphological traits were noted among the plants, raising questions about the validity of recognizing a separate variety. However, the two taxa flowered at different times, indicating that reproductive isolation may occur (W. E. Brumback, New England Wild Flower Society, personal communication). Much more research is necessary to explore these issues. Jeffrey Karron (Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee), is conducting several studies on the reproduction and evolution of Mimulus ringens (sensu lato).

Elizabeth J. Farnsworth

01/01/2010

No information on efforts explicitly addressing management of this taxon is available. However, conservation activities are underway in Merrymeeting Bay, Maine, where the taxon is found. Projects in public education and land protection in the region, completed by Friends of Merrymeeting Bay (consortium) and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Gulf of Maine Coastal Program.

Elizabeth J. Farnsworth

01/01/2010

Common-garden experiments that elucidate shared characters of Mimulus ringens var. colpophilus and Mimulus ringens will be necessary to resolve taxonomic uncertainty about the variety (reflected in its ""G5T2Q"" global conservation status) Basic field research is critically needed on all aspects of the ecology, habitat requirements, reproductive biology, herbivory, and demography of Mimulus ringens var. colpophilus

Elizabeth J. Farnsworth

01/01/2010

Germination and propagation are relatively well understood for Mimulus ringens var. colpophilus (Brumback 1989).