Diplacus rutilus

Identification

Description

(Diplacus longiflorus var. rutilus, or Mimulus longiflorus var. rutilus) Santa Susana Monkey Flower is a perennial with 2 inch velvet red flowers that prefers sun to part shade, little water after established. Watering and drainage seem to be the key for Santa Susana Monkey Flower. As this Diplacus grows in rock outcroppings near seasonal springs in decomposed granite, it hates heavy clays, drowns with over watering, dies of drought fairly easily. Two to three foot from a lawn in a loam or even clay loam soil and a spectacularly dramatic show is given. In beach sand this flower grows well, but leaves will be a little on the yellow side, big red flowers are still the big red flowers, just the plant looks like a dog marked it. A knock your socks off flower. A hummingbird plant that has been deer proof in all locations. NOT very cold tolerant. Gets beat up in any frost, dies at about 25 deg. F.. This grows in the chaparral with Adenostoma, Heteromeles, Ceanothus species and Trichostema. Customers from the Sierras tell us it has done fine at the mouth of Yosemite Park. It is native to the foothills around Pasadena. When this monkey flower works, it is stunning. No the plant doesn't look like a monkey, someone looked into the throat of the flower and thought she could see the outline of a president. Click here for more about Monkeys in California