Mentzelia laevicaulis

Last updated

Mentzelia laevicaulis
Mentzelia laevicaulis 2.jpg
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. laevicaulis
Binomial name
Mentzelia laevicaulis
Varieties [1]
  • M. laevicaulis var. laevicaulis
  • M. laevicaulis var. parviflora

Mentzelia laevicaulis is a showy biennial or short-lived perennial wildflower native to western North America. [2] Its common names include giant blazingstar [3] and smoothstem blazingstar. [3]

Contents

This is a widespread plant which can be found in sandy, rocky, and disturbed areas, such as roadsides.

Description

Yellow blazing star (Mentzelia laevicaulis) Blooming Yellow Mentzelia Laevicaulis.JPG
Yellow blazing star (Mentzelia laevicaulis)

It grows a branched stem which may reach a yard in height. The whitish-green stem and its lateral branches bear the occasional triangular sawtoothed leaf. The plant bears capsule fruits containing winged seeds.

At the tip of each branch blooms a spectacular yellow flower. The star-shaped flower has five narrow, pointed petals with shiny yellow surfaces, each up to 3 inches long. Between the petals are long, thin yellow sepals. The center of the open-faced flower is filled with a great many whiskery yellow stamens. Beneath the petals are long, curling bracts.

Mentzelia laevicaulis (Losaceae botanical family) Mentzelia laevicaulis Losaceae.jpeg
Mentzelia laevicaulis (Losaceae botanical family)

References

  1. ↑ "Mentzelia laevicaulis (Douglas ex Hook.) Torr. & A.Gray". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  2. ↑ Fertig, Walter. "Plant of the Week: Smoothstem blazingstar (Mentzelia laevicaulis)". www.fs.usda.gov. USDA Forest Service. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Mentzelia laevicaulis". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 5 September 2014.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Mentzelia laevicaulis at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.