Mentzelia crocea

Mentzelia crocea
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
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Cornales
Family:	Loasaceae
Genus:	Mentzelia
Species:	M. crocea
Binomial name
Mentzelia crocea Kellogg

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

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 higher 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.

References

• Mentzelia crocea, Jepson Flora Project
• Mentzelia crocea in the CalPhotos photo database, University of California, Berkeley

External links

• Mentzelia crocea, Calflora
• family: Loasaceae, Calflora