Lewis Monkey Flower

Mimulus lewisii Pursh In the neighborhood of Glacier, British Columbia, where I first saw this striking monkeyflower, it grew luxuriantly. Along the streams about timberline it found the habitat most suited to it, for although it never grew in water, it needed the cool drippings from melting snows higher up the slopes to sustain its lush growth. The large richly colored flowers were in pleasing contrast with the green leaves. I never found the plant in the Rockies east of the Columbia River The specific name was given in honor of Meriwether Lewis of the celebrated Lewis and Clark Expedition to the Northwest. Although dissimilar in aspect, the monkeyflowers belong to the same family as the elephanthead, shown in the preceding plate— namely, the Fig- wort family. Lewis monkeyflower is found from Colorado to Arizona, Califor- nia, and British Columbia and locally eastward to Minnesota. These specimens were gathered at an altitude of 3,500 feet. We produce all of our on i