Winged monkeyflower, also called sharpwing monkeyflower, gets its name from its square stem, with each side lined by thin, flat extensions that look like wings - giving the stem a sharply angled, winged appearance. The genus name, Mimulus, comes from the Latin word mimus, meaning “mimic” or “actor,” because the flower looks a bit like a monkey’s face. These features  inspire the common name sharpwing monkeyflower.

Native to eastern and central North America, which includes states from Connecticut to Texas as well as Southern Ontario, Canada, this perennial wildflower prefers moist to wet soils with partial shade. Winged monkeyflower can often be found in streambanks, swamps, floodplains, and woodland edges.

Winged monkeyflower usually grows between 1 to 3 feet tall, though in favorable wetland conditions it may reach up to 4 feet. While usually unbranched, it may develop occasional upper stems or branches near the flowering nodes. Flowering begins in June and continues through September, with pale blue to violet blooms appearing singly from leaf axils throughout the summer. The flower has an upper lip with two lobes often folded back and lower lip with three lobes with a yellow patch and sometimes red spots which act as a nectar guide for pollinators like bumblebees.

Leaves are cauline (arising along the stem), arranged in opposite pairs, and range from lanceolate to oblong in shape. A distinctive feature of the species is its narrowly winged petioles, which give the leaf bases a flanged appearance. The plant grows from creeping rhizomes, allowing it to form small colonies in wet habitats without becoming aggressive or invasive.

The fruit is a dry capsule, about 8 - 12 mm long, containing numerous minute seeds that are well-adapted for dispersal in wetland environments. These seeds are lightweight and likely spread through water movement, allowing the plant to colonize moist soils along streambanks, marshes, and wet meadows.