Erythranthe cinnabarina

Perennials, rhizomatous. Stems usually erect to ascending, freely branched, 25–60 cm, glabrous. Leaves usually cauline; petiole 0 mm; blade palmately veined, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, elliptic-lanceolate, or broadly lanceolate, 60–125 × 25–46 mm, base narrowly auriculate, clasping to subclasping, margins shallowly dentate, teeth sharp-pointed, apex acute, adaxial surface glabrous or minutely sessile- or stipitate-glandular along veins, lamina glabrous. Flowers herkogamous, 2–4(–8), axillary at leafy distal nodes. Fruiting pedicels 50–95 mm. Fruiting calyces cylindric-campanulate, not inflated, (27–)29–34 mm, minutely stipitate- or sessile-glandular, lobes 7–10 mm, ovate, apex abruptly attenuate to linear-caudate. Corollas deep orange, dull orange, red-orange, or deep scarlet, throat yellow-orange, dark red stripes leading onto basal part of lobes, not spotted, palate ridges red, bilaterally symmetric, strongly bilabiate; tube-throat tubular, 29–36 mm, exserted 7–12 mm beyond calyx margin; throat open, palate ridges densely short-villous, hairs yellowish. Styles glabrous. Anthers exserted, white-villous, thecae spreading. Capsules included, 14–18 mm. 2n = 16.

Phenology: Flowering Jun–Aug(–Sep).
Habitat: Canyons, ravines, streambeds and margins, riparian vegetation, mixed conifer forest.
Elevation: 2100–3300 m.

Distribution

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Ariz.

Discussion

Erythranthe cinnabarina is similar to typical E. cardinalis in its spreading anther thecae, relatively short-exserted corolla tube, and its reflexing corolla lobes but distinct in its generally larger leaves with reduced vestiture, fewer flowers, larger calyx and corolla, apically caudate calyx lobes, and its separate geographical range.

Erythranthe cinnabarina occurs in Cochise County (Chiricahua Mountains), Graham County (Pinaleño Mountains), and Pima County (Santa Catalina Mountains). Erythranthe verbenacea, with which it sometimes has been confused, occurs at lower elevations (350–2600 m) and ranges over most of the state (Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, and Yavapai counties). Erythranthe cinnabarina apparently occurs alone (without E. verbenacea) in the Pinaleño Mountains and in the Chiricahua Mountains, but both species have been abundantly documented in the Santa Catalina Mountains, where they sometimes closely co-occur in areas of elevational overlap (for example, at Marshall Gulch, about 2500 m; at Bear Wallow Campground, about 2600 m).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.