Taxon Report

Erythranthe purpurea (A.L. Grant) N.S. Fraga

little purple monkeyflower

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Erythranthe purpurea, commonly known as little purple monkeyflower, is a annual herb in the Phrymaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Meadows and seeps, Pebble (Pavement) plain, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1900 to 2300 meters. Erythranthe purpurea is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Erythranthe purpurea (A.L. Grant) N.S. Fraga
Common Name:	little purple monkeyflower
Family:	Phrymaceae
Element Code:	PDSCR1B2B0
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Mimulus purpureus

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: May-Jun	May-Jun
Elevation:	1900-2300 (6235-7545)
General Habitats:	Meadows and seeps, Pebble (Pavement) plain, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.2
Global Rank:	G2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	22
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	6
Fair (C)	2
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	3
Unknown (U)	11

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Bernardino (SBD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Big Bear City (3411637), Big Bear Lake (3411628), Butler Peak (3411731), Fawnskin (3411638), Moonridge (3411627)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	10
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	16	73 %
Development	8	36%
ORV activity	7	31%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	5	22%
Road/trail construction/maint.	4	18%
Non-native plant impacts	3	13%
Foot traffic/trampling	2	9%
Mining	2	9%
Altered flood/tidal/hydrologic regime	1	4%
Vandalism/dumping/litter	1	4%
Other	1	4%

Notes



Threatened by development, mining, recreational activities, vegetation/fuel management, and vehicles. See Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 11(2-3):255 (1925) for original description, and Phytoneuron 2012-39:1-60 (2012) for revised nomenclature.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 24 November 2025].