''Mentzelia albicaulis'' is a species of flowering plants in the family
Loasaceae
Loasaceae is a family of 15–20 genera and about 200–260 species of flowering plants in the order Cornales, native to the Americas and Africa. Members of the family include annual, biennial and perennial herbaceous plants, and a few shrubs an ...
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.
Description
It is an annual herb producing a stem up to 42 centimeters long, sometimes growing erect. The leaves are up to 11 centimeters long in the basal rosette, divided into even
comb
A comb is a tool consisting of a shaft that holds a row of teeth for pulling through the hair to clean, untangle, or style it. Combs have been used since prehistoric times, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating ba ...
like lobes, and smaller farther up on the plant. The flower has five shiny yellow petals 2 to 7 millimeters long each. The fruit is a narrow, straight or curving
utricle 1 to 3 centimeters long. It contains many angular seeds covered in tiny bumps.
References
External links
Calflora Database: ''Mentzelia albicaulis'' (Small flowered Blazing Star, White stemmed stickleaf, white stemmed blazing star)Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of ''Mentzelia albicaulis''UC Photos gallery — ''Mentzelia albicaulis''
albicaulis
Flora of the Western United States
Flora of Western Canada
Flora of Arizona
Flora of Baja California
Flora of the California desert regions
Flora of Nevada
Flora of the Great Basin
Flora of the Sonoran Deserts
Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands
Natural history of the Colorado Desert
Natural history of the Mojave Desert
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Cornales-stub