Practical
Plants

Mimulus luteus

Monkey Musk

a perennial member of the Mimulus genus in the family Scrophulariaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Mimulus
Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.3 m
Spread
0.3 m

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves - raw or cooked[2][6]. Eaten as greens[6].

Plant part
Leaves

Environment

Range
S. America - Chile. Naturalized in Britain.
Habitat
Wet places[7]. Locally naturalized by streams in Scotland.
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
high
Hardiness
Zone 7+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only lightly cover the seed[5]. 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[5]. Division in spring[5]. 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[5].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers rather moist places such as damp borders, margins of streams and boggy spots[1]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Thrives in full sun so long as the soil does not dry out[5]. Hardy to about -20°c[4]. There is some confusion over the naming of this plant, the entry on edibility may refer to M. guttatus, which is closely related to this species[3][5]. Hybridizes with M. guttatus[4].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩

  4. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30936-9

    ↩1↩2

  5. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  6. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2

  7. Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955-00-00

    ↩

Edit this page