Mentzelia laevicaulis

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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

Mentzelia laevicaulis is a showy wildflower native to western North America. Its common names include giant blazingstar [1] and smoothstem blazingstar. [1]

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)

Related Research Articles

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

<i>Mentzelia pumila</i> Species of flowering plant

Mentzelia pumila, is a biennial wildflower found in the western United States and northwestern Mexico from Montana and North Dakota, south to Sonora and Chihuahua. It is a blazingstar and a member of the genus Mentzelia, the stickleafs; member species are also called "evening stars", but some stickleafs close at sunset, as does M. pumila.

<i>Mentzelia multiflora</i> Species of flowering plant

Mentzelia multiflora, commonly known as Adonis blazingstar, Adonis stickleaf, desert blazingstar, prairie stickleaf and manyflowered mentzelia is a herbaceous perennial wildflower of the family Loasaceae.

<i>Mentzelia albicaulis</i> Species of flowering plant

Mentzelia albicaulis is a species of flowering plants in the family Loasaceae known by the common names whitestem blazingstar, white-stemmed stickleaf, and small flowered blazing star. It is native to much of western North America, where it grows in mountain, desert, and plateau habitat.

Mentzelia congesta is a species of flowering plants in the family Loasaceae known by the common name united blazingstar.

<i>Mentzelia dispersa</i> Species of flowering plant

Mentzelia dispersa is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae known by the common name bushy blazingstar. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to the Dakotas, where it grows in many types of habitat.

Mentzelia eremophila is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae known by the common names pinyon blazingstar and solitary blazingstar.

<i>Mentzelia gracilenta</i> Species of flowering plant

Mentzelia gracilenta, known by the common names blazing star, grass blazingstar, and slender blazing star, is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae.

<i>Mentzelia micrantha</i> Species of flowering plant

Mentzelia micrantha is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae known by the common name San Luis blazingstar.

<i>Mentzelia montana</i> Species of flowering plant

Mentzelia montana, known by the common name variegated bract blazingstar, is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae.

<i>Mentzelia nitens</i> Species of flowering plant

Mentzelia nitens is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae known by the common names shining blazingstar and Venus blazingstar. It is native to the Mojave Desert and adjacent desert and mountain areas of eastern California and southern Nevada.

Mentzelia oreophila is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae known by the common name Argus blazingstar. It is native to the Southwestern United States and the Mojave Desert sky islands in California. It grows in rocky desert and scrub habitat.

<i>Mentzelia pectinata</i> Species of flowering plant

Mentzelia pectinata is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae known by the common name San Joaquin blazingstar.

<i>Mentzelia veatchiana</i> Species of flowering plant

Mentzelia veatchiana is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae known by the common name Veatch's blazingstar.

<i>Mentzelia goodrichii</i> Species of flowering plant

Mentzelia goodrichii is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae known by the common name Goodrich's blazingstar. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it is known only from Duchesne County.

Mentzelia springeri is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae known by the common name Santa Fe blazingstar. It is endemic to New Mexico in the United States, where it occurs in the Jemez Mountains.

Mentzelia densa is a species of flowering plant in the Loasaceae known by the common names Royal Gorge blazingstar and Royal Gorge stickleaf. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it occurs in the Arkansas River Valley in Fremont and Chaffee Counties.

<i>Mentzelia mollis</i> Species of flowering plant

Mentzelia mollis is a species of flowering plant in the Loasaceae known by the common names soft blazingstar, smooth blazingstar, and smooth stickleaf. It is native to the western United States, where it occurs in Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada.

Mentzelia packardiae is a species of flowering plant in the Loasaceae known by the common names Packard's blazingstar and Packard's stickleaf. It is native to the western United States, where it is known from a small area in Oregon and Nevada.

Mentzelia chrysantha is a species of flowering plant in the Loasaceae known by the common names gold blazingstar and golden blazingstar. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States.

References

  1. 1 2 "Mentzelia laevicaulis". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 5 September 2014.

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