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''Mentzelia laevicaulis'' is a showy wildflower native to western North America. Its common names include giant blazingstar and smoothstem blazingstar.
This is a widespread plant which can be found in sandy, rocky, and disturbed areas, such as roadsides.
It grows a weedy-looking, 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 
Jepson Manual Treatment — ''Mentzelia laevicaulis''''Mentzelia laevicaulis'' — U.C. Photo gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1529926 laevicaulis Flora of British Columbia Flora of California Flora of Colorado Flora of Idaho Flora of Montana Flora of Nevada Flora of Oregon Flora of Utah Flora of Washington (state) Flora of Wyoming Flora of the California desert regions Flora of the Great Basin Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Taxa named by Asa Gray Taxa named by John Torrey Flora without expected TNC conservation status
Description
It grows a weedy-looking, 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 sepal
A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...
s. The center of the open-faced flower is filled with a great many whiskery yellow stamen
The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...
s. Beneath the petals are long, curling bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...
s.
References
External links
Jepson Manual Treatment — ''Mentzelia laevicaulis''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1529926 laevicaulis Flora of British Columbia Flora of California Flora of Colorado Flora of Idaho Flora of Montana Flora of Nevada Flora of Oregon Flora of Utah Flora of Washington (state) Flora of Wyoming Flora of the California desert regions Flora of the Great Basin Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Taxa named by Asa Gray Taxa named by John Torrey Flora without expected TNC conservation status