Mimulus alatus, the sharpwing monkeyflower, is an herbaceous[2] eudicot perennial[3] that has no floral scent.

[6] Like other monkey-flowers of the genus Mimulus, M. alatus grows best in wet to moist conditions and has a bilabiate corolla, meaning it is two-lipped.

[8] Mimulus alatus is a native species to eastern North America; its range stretches from Connecticut, down south to Florida and extends as far west as Nebraska and Texas.

It is most commonly found in central and lower Mississippi valley, and considered rare in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York and Ontario.

[5] The sharp wing monkey-flower is a perennial that grows best under partial sun exposure and wet to moist conditions.

[2] Full sun is tolerable but when it is grown in habitats that are too dry and sunny, the sharp wing monkey-flower remains small in size and becomes yellowish green.

Unlike the stems and leaves, the flowers are not glabrous as they have fine white hairs on the surface of the corolla.

[4] Butterflies and birds are also visitors to the sharp wing monkey-flower but there has been very little data collected for its floral-faunal relationships.

[11] Also, it is noted that M. ringens can tolerate wider ranges of habitat conditions whereas M. alatus is more conservative.