Monkey Flower

Monkey Flower is a tall, upright plant that has stalkless round to oval, green and hairless leaves, that are in opposite pairs along the stems. It produces large, showy bright yellow flowers with tiny red spots within the mouth of the flower. Each flower has two lips. The upper lip usually has two lobes ane the lower lobe, has three. The opening to the flower is hairy. The flowers are born on a cluster, most often with five or more flowers.

It can be found growing in rivers and lakes, wet pastures, ditches, marshes, ponds and streams, often trailing right into the surface. Monkey Flower spreads both by seed and by leafy runners. It flowers from June until September.

Monkey Flower is a non-native flower, originally brought to Britain in 1812, from islands off the coast of Alaska. It has since spread very quickly and made itself at home here.

Monkey Flower is widespread through most of Britain, but is absent only from extensive areas of East Anglia and the East Midlands.