Skye Flora

Taxonomic note: Mimulus x robertsii is the hybrid between M luteus proper and M guttatus.  There seems to be a lot of confusion between M x robertsii and M luteus proper, with most wild British Isles plants assigned to the latter now believed to belong to the former (the popular name "Blood-drop Emlets" presumably covers both).

As this is an alien plant some of whose forms are of horticultural origin, I don't think it's worth the amateur naturalist's time distinguishing between these two very similar taxa, so am lumping them here, together with any related hybrids.  They are both very distinct from M guttatus.  Most reliable Skye records are of M x robertsii.

There is a very thorough treatment of this group of plants at http://www-biol.paisley.ac.uk/bioref/Plantae_Mimulus/Mimulus.html where however the type of M luteus naturalised in the British Isles is named M nummularius.

Photo © Carl Farmer 25 Aug 2002 Torvaig

Occasional in burns or wet places, usually near habitation. Height c 30-50 cm.  Flower c 3-4 cm in length Skye ID: Red blotches on petal-lobes, not just in throat. Other features: All Blood-drop Emlets have flowers of similar shape to that shown, less clearly divided into an upper (2-lobed) and lower (3-lobed) lip than Monkey Flower.  The throat is always much more open than in Monkey Flower, where it is almost blocked by a raised rim.  Sometimes the blotches are purple or brownish.  They can cover the whole of each lobe, or at the other extreme they can be just a few small dots on each lobe.

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Photo © Carl Farmer 30 Aug 2003 Torvaig		Photo © Carl Farmer 25 Aug 2002 Torvaig

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