_Mimulus ringens_
_Flowers_--Purple, violet, or lilac, rarely whitish; about 1 in. long,
solitary, borne on slender footstems from axils of upper leaves. Calyx
prismatic, 5-angled, 5-toothed; corolla irregular, tubular, narrow in
throat, 2-lipped; upper lip 2-lobed, erect; under lip 3-lobed,
spreading; 4 stamens, a long and a short pair, inserted on corolla tube;
1 pistil with 2-lobed, plate-like stigma. _Stem:_ Square, erect, usually
branched, 1 to 3 ft. high. _Leaves:_ Opposite, oblong to lance-shaped,
saw-edged, mostly seated on stem.
_Preferred Habitat_--Swamps, beside streams and ponds.
_Flowering Season_--June-September.
_Distribution_--Manitoba, Nebraska, and Texas, eastward to
Atlantic Ocean.
Imaginative eyes see what appears to them the gaping (_ringens_) face of
a little ape or buffoon (_mimulus_) in this common flower whose
drolleries, such as they are, call forth the only applause desired--the
buzz of insects that become pollen-laden during the entertainment.