Mentzelia crocea

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Mentzelia crocea
Sierra Blazing Star.png
Mentzelia crocea, the Sierra blazing star, in full bloom in a recently burned area along Mineral King road in Sequoia National Park (May 26th, 2024)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Cornales
Family: Loasaceae
Genus: Mentzelia
Species:
M. crocea
Binomial name
Mentzelia crocea

Mentzelia crocea, the Sierra blazingstar or saffron blazing star, is an annual wildflower endemic to the Sierra Nevada foothills of California.

Contents

The flowering plant can be found up to 4,920 feet (1,500 m) elevation.

Description

The stem grows up to a meter tall. The lobed leaves in the basal rosette are up to 20 centimeters long; those farther up the stem are smaller. The flower has 5 shiny yellow petals with orange spots at the bases. The petals may reach 3.6 centimeters in length. At the center are many long, whiskery stamens which may approach 3 centimeters long.

The fruit is a narrow utricle up to 3.5 centimeters long containing many tiny seeds which can be seen to be covered in minute bumps when viewed under magnification.

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