Round-leaf monkey-flower

Images

Click on image to view full size

Roundleaf monkeyflower leaves and flower

Roundleaf monkeyflower inflorescence

Roundleaf monkeyflower

Roundleaf monkeyflower

Roundleaf monkeyflower

Roundleaf monkeyflower calyx and leaves

Morphology

Stem

Creeping to decumbent, to 30 inches long, weak, hollow, much branched, glabrous to sparsely hairy, rooting at lower nodes.

Leaves

Opposite, sessile or short-stalked, nearly circular to kidney-shaped, .4 to 1.2 inch long, .6 to 1.2 inch wide, upper leaves usually broader than long, palmately veined; margins toothed; bases rounded to heart-shaped.

Inflorescence

Flowers from upper leaf axils; stalks slender, .2 to 1.6 inches long.

Flower

Calyces bell-shaped, 1/5 to 1/2 inch long, 5-lobed, 5-angled, enlarging after flowering; lobes unequal, posterior 1 largest, blunt, rounded, twice as large as lateral and anterior lobes; corolla bell-shaped, 1/3 to 1/2 inch long, bright yellow, sometimes with reddish-brown dots, 2-lipped; upper lip 2-lobed, lower lip 3-lobed; throat open, 2 elevated ridges, heavily bearded; stamens 4, 2 long, 2 short; stigmas 2.

Fruit

Capsule, broadly egg-shaped, 1/5 to 2/5 inch long, flattened, 2-celled; seeds numerous, elliptic-ovoid, brownish.

Ecology

Habitat

Shallow water of slowly flowing streams, ponds, cold springs, muddy banks; usually in calcareous locations.

Distribution

Throughout Kansas.

Practical Information

Uses

The shoots and young leaves are sometimes used in salads. Native Americans used the plant as an indicator of surface water.

Additional Notes