Kumeyaay name: unknown
Red Bush Monkey Flower (Mimulus aurantiacus)
Summary of the red bush monkey flower and its traditional use:
Bush Monkey flower is an evergreen perennial herb native to southwestern Oregon, California, and Baja California. It is a mounding, spreading subshrub that can reach heights of 5 feet and widths of 5 feet. Its small-elongated leaves are deep green in color, shiny, and sticky. It flowers in the winter, spring, and summer with blossoms that are usually orange (white, yellow, and red are also seen). Bees and hummingbirds are its principle pollinators.
The Kumeyaay used this monkey flower primarily for medicinal purposes. These uses range from poultices for burns and wounds to treatments for colds, coughs, flus, stomach disorders (roots in a hot infusion) and heart ailments.