''Erythranthe cuprea'' is a species of

monkeyflower Monkey flower can refer to: *Several genera of plant family Phrymaceae, including: ** ''Diplacus'' ** ''Erythranthe'' ** ''Mimulus'' *Various snapdragon-like Lamiales, including: ** ''Linaria vulgaris'' ** ''Phyllocarpus septentrionalis ''Barne ...

also known by the common name ''flor de cobre'' (Eng: copper flower). It was formerly known as ''Mimulus cupreus''. Its characteristics in nectar and petal shape are markedly different from other species in this genus found in Chile.

Distribution

''Erythranthe cuprea'' is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to central and southern

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

with wet locales such as riverbanks. Several commercial cultivars are available: 'Fire Dragon', 'Fire King', 'Highland Red', 'Inshriach Crimson', 'Plymtree', 'Red Emperor', 'Scarlet Bay', 'Scarlet Bee', 'Whitecroft Scarlet' and 'Wisley Red'. Many of these cultivars are hybrids with ''

Erythranthe lutea ''Erythranthe lutea'' is a species of monkeyflower Monkey flower can refer to: *Several genera of plant family Phrymaceae, including: ** ''Diplacus'' ** ''Erythranthe'' ** ''Mimulus'' *Various snapdragon-like Lamiales, including: ** ''Linaria v ...

'' or ''

Erythranthe guttata ''Erythranthe guttata'', with the common names seep monkeyflower and common yellow monkeyflower, is a yellow bee-pollinated annual or perennial plant. It was formerly known as ''Mimulus guttatus''. ''Erythranthe guttata'' is a model organism fo ...

''.

Description

Similar to ''E. lutea'' but of a short life span, ''Erythranthe cuprea'' has atypical flower coloring, being coppery-orange to coppery-red, whereas most monkey-flowers are yellow or red, though occasional yellow morphs are found. This does not affect pollination by bees and ''E. cuprea'' possesses a high degree of self-pollination. Leaves have teeth and are oval. The plant grows to about in height and flowers are in length. Flowering occurs in the summer.

Phytochemistry

Petal-color polymorphism is controlled by a single locus; petal and dorsal coloring is co-inherited, indicating single or linked control. The red-copper color of the flowers is caused by a water-soluble pigment, cyanidin, which is an

anthocyanin Anthocyanins (), also called anthocyans, are water-soluble vacuolar pigments that, depending on their pH, may appear red, purple, blue, or black. In 1835, the German pharmacist Ludwig Clamor Marquart gave the name Anthokyan to a chemical compo ...

, acquired through a

gain-of-function mutation In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA or viral replication, mitos ...

. An unusual feature is that a similar mutation in a different gene has occurred in ''E. lutea'', but "the loci are related through

duplication Duplication, duplicate, and duplicator may refer to: Biology and genetics * Gene duplication, a process which can result in free mutation * Chromosomal duplication, which can cause Bloom and Rett syndrome * Polyploidy, a phenomenon also known ...

Cultivation

This short-lived perennial is cultivated as an ornamental, and is often treated as an annual. In the horticultural literature it is still referred to as ''Mimulus cupreus''. The

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

'Whitecroft Scarlet' has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

. It requires a sheltered spot in reliably moist soil, preferring partial shade.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17746439 cuprea Flora of Chile