The common yellow monkeyflower, Mimulus guttatus DC, is a herbaceous plant that lives in moist or wet places. It is native to North America, and can be found in the west from Baja California to Alaska.
The wide range of distribution of M. guttatus is paralleled by an impressive amount of variation in its morphology, physiology and life history. From small plants living in poor rocky soils, to large, fleshy individuals of riverbanks and streams, M. guttatus can be found in diverse places such as the geysers of Yellowstone, or in Alaskan streams.