''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.

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 ...

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 filam ...

s. Beneath the petals are long, curling bracts. Mentzelia laevicaulis Losaceae

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment — ''Mentzelia laevicaulis''''Mentzelia laevicaulis'' — U.C. Photo gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1529926

laevicaulis ''Laevicaulis'' is a taxonomic genus of air-breathing, tropical land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Veronicellidae, the leatherleaf slugs.World Register of Marine Species Species Species within the genus ''Laev ...

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