Mentzelia albescens |
Mentzelia mexicana |
|
---|---|---|
wavy-leaf blazingstar |
Mexican blazingstar, Mexico blazingstar |
|
Habit | Plants biennial, candelabra-form. | Plants biennial, bushlike or candelabra-form. |
Stems | solitary, erect, straight; branches distal, distal longest, antrorse, straight; hairy. |
solitary, erect, straight; branches distal or along entire stem, distal or proximal longest, antrorse, upcurved; hairy. |
Leaves | blade 31–92(–157) × 10.5–27.6(–41) mm, widest intersinus distance 5.2–23.3(–29) mm; proximal lanceolate or elliptic, margins serrate to pinnate, teeth or lobes 8–22, slightly antrorse, 1.8–6 mm; distal lanceolate, base clasping, margins usually serrate to pinnate, occasionally entire, teeth or lobes (0–)10–20, slightly antrorse, 1.4–7.6 mm; abaxial surface with simple grappling-hook, complex grappling-hook, and needlelike trichomes, adaxial surface with simple grappling-hook and needlelike trichomes. |
blade 24–82 × 11.7–29.1 mm, widest intersinus distance 3.4–19 mm; proximal oblanceolate or elliptic, margins dentate, serrate, or pinnate, teeth or lobes 6–16, slightly antrorse or perpendicular to leaf axis, 1.4–5.1 mm; distal elliptic to lanceolate, base usually not clasping, sometimes a few clasping, margins dentate, serrate, or pinnate, teeth or lobes 6–12, slightly antrorse or perpendicular to leaf axis, 2.5–6.7 mm; abaxial surface with simple grappling-hook, complex grappling-hook, and usually needlelike trichomes, adaxial surface with simple grappling-hook and needlelike trichomes. |
Bracts | margins entire. |
margins entire. |
Flowers | petals golden yellow, 5.7–9.2 × 1.3–3 mm, apex usually acute, occasionally rounded, glabrous abaxially; stamens golden yellow, 5 outermost petaloid, filaments narrowly spatulate, slightly clawed, 4.7–8.4 × 1–2.4 mm, without anthers, second whorl with anthers; anthers straight after dehiscence, epidermis smooth; styles 3.5–5.4 mm. |
petals golden yellow, 10.2–15.3(–17) × 2.5–6.2 mm, apex rounded, glabrous abaxially; stamens golden yellow, 5 outermost petaloid, filaments narrowly spatulate, slightly clawed, 9.9–14.4(–16.7) × 2–4.8 mm, without anthers, second whorl with anthers; anthers straight after dehiscence, epidermis smooth; styles 4.5–10.9 mm. |
Capsules | cylindric, 13.6–23.5 × 5.1–7.8 mm, base tapering, not or slightly longitudinally ridged. |
cup-shaped, 7.1–12.8 × 5.6–8.4 mm, length to 2 times diam., base rounded, not longitudinally ridged. |
Seeds | coat anticlinal cell walls straight, papillae 4–17 per cell. |
coat anticlinal cell walls straight, papillae 8–12 per cell. |
2n | = 22. |
= 18. |
Mentzelia albescens |
Mentzelia mexicana |
|
Phenology | Flowering May–Nov. | Flowering Mar–Oct. |
Habitat | Dry grasslands, xeric habitats of arroyos, roadsides, roadcuts, washes, chat piles, slopes. | Arroyos, knolls, steep slopes, gypsum and limestone clay and shale. |
Elevation | 200–1600 m. (700–5200 ft.) | 700–1500 m. (2300–4900 ft.) |
Distribution |
KS; MO; OK; TX; South America (Argentina, Chile) |
TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Zacatecas) |
Discussion | Phylogenetic analyses (J. J. Schenk and L. Hufford 2011) recovered representative populations of Mentzelia albescens from Texas and South America in a monophyletic group. Phylogenetic placement of these populations among lineages in sect. Bartonia, as well as a lack of morphological differentiation among North American and South American populations, suggests a recent dispersal to South America. In the flora area, this species is native to central and western Texas, and introduced in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
In the flora area, Mentzelia mexicana occurs in Brewster, Hudspeth, and Presidio counties. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 518. | FNA vol. 12, p. 521. |
Parent taxa | Loasaceae > Mentzelia > sect. Bartonia | Loasaceae > Mentzelia > sect. Bartonia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Bartonia albescens, B. wrightii | |
Name authority | (Gillies ex Arnott) Bentham & Hooker f. ex Grisebach: Abh. Königl. Ges. Wiss. Göttingen 19: 150. (1874) | H. J. Thompson & Zavortink: Wrightia 4: 21. (1968) |
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