Sister to Erythranthe is a clade that includes M. bicolor , M. filicaulis , and M. rubellus . 488 AFLP bands were scored for all of the species in Erythranthe and its sister clade, including multiple populations for most species. The highly selfing M. parishii is resolved as sister to all other species or as sister to a clade containing M. lewisii and M. cardinalis . The common ancestor of the Erythranthe clade is inferred to be annual, insect-pollinated and from the Sierra Nevada. Hummingbird pollination is inferred to be derived within the clade and may have arisen twice independently.
Allopatric speciation is suggested to be the major mode of speciation in the clade.