Mimulus washingtonensis

Washington Monkeyflower

The genus Mimulus comprises about 150 species which are currently placed in the Phrymaceae family. This genus has been traditionally placed in the Scrophulariaceae family. The name of the genus is derived from the Greek word mimo, or ape, and was suggested by the masked or grinning corolla common to most of the species of Mimulus.

Archaeological informations.

Carlos Ramirez (Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 1989) has studied the flora of Rucamanque in Chile, a site dated 13 000 years old. 68 plant species were recovered from the site, of which species of Mimulus. Of these 68 species, today 32 still have medicinal uses.