MONKEY FLOWER

any of herbaceous or, rarely, shrubby plants of the genus Mimulus (family Scrophulariaceae; see Scrophulariales). The approximately 100 species are distributed worldwide but are particularly common in western North America. The plants have opposite, undivided leaves and solitary flowers with a two-lipped open corolla (fused petals). The herbaceous species typically grow most abundantly in wet areas, usually near running water.