Family: Monkeyflower [Phrymaceae]


Mimulus

Taxonomists, in their infinite wisdom, are finally beginning to see the light; that in the authors opinion you cannot sort the fauna and flora into fractal family trees. To this end, taxonomists seem to agree, at least in the context of two cases, Foxglove Tree and Monkeyflower. They have moved the Foxglove Tree (from the Figwort & Foxglove Family [Scrophulariaceae] into a Family of its own, since they find they are un-able to classify it under any of their existing Families. The same fate has befallen Monkeyflowers which they have also moved into a Family of their own, Monkeyflowers [Phrymaceae].

The author thinks this fate awaits a great many other Families and Genus, providing taxonomists think things through to their logical conclusion: that all Kingdoms, Families and Genus are so inter-cross-related that they cannot possibly be described by a fractal family tree. All attempts at such are ultimately doomed to failure, as the two cases above show.

Mimulus used to be in the Figwort & Foxglove Family [Scrophulariaceae] until taxonomists had a recent brainstorm, and moved almost all Genus out of the Figwort & Foxglove Family [Scrophulariaceae] and placed most of them in either the Plantain Family [Plantaginaceae], or the Broomrape Family [Orobancheaceae], except for Mimulus, for which they invented a totally new family where it now resides, at least for a few years. The new family is [Phrymaceae] which, in the absence of any official English name, the author has named the Monkeyflower Family.



[MIMULUS] Monkeyflowers

Coppery Monkeyflower (Mimulus burnetii) Photo: © RWD

Hybrid Monkeyflower (Mimulus robertsii) Photo: © RWD

Monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus) Photo: © RWD

Musk (Mimulus moschatus) Photo: © RWD

Family: Monkeyflower [Phrymaceae]

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