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wavy-leaf blazingstar

perennial blazingstar

Habit Plants biennial, candelabra-form. Plants perennial, bushlike, with ground-level caudices.
Stems

solitary, erect, straight;

branches distal, distal longest, antrorse, straight; hairy.

multiple, erect, straight;

branches distal, distal longest, antrorse, straight; 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 25–100 × 1–18.1 mm, widest intersinus distance 1–4.2 mm;

proximal spatulate to elliptic, margins entire or dentate to pinnatisect, teeth or lobes 0–26, slightly antrorse, 0.6–9.5 mm;

distal oblanceolate, elliptic, or lanceolate, base not clasping, margins entire, serrate, or pinnatisect, teeth or lobes 0–24, slightly antrorse, 0.4–7.1 mm;

abaxial surface with needlelike and occasionally simple and complex grappling-hook trichomes, adaxial surface with simple grappling-hook and needlelike trichomes.

Bracts

margins entire.

margins usually entire, occasionally pinnate.

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 light yellow, 11.4–19(–22.7) × 1.8–3.6(–5) mm, apex acute, glabrous abaxially;

stamens light yellow, 5 outermost petaloid, filaments narrowly spatulate, slightly clawed, 11–18.1(–22.7) × (0.5–)1–3.7 mm, without anthers, second whorl without anthers;

anthers straight after dehiscence, epidermis papillate;

styles 7.5–11.4 mm.

Capsules

cylindric, 13.6–23.5 × 5.1–7.8 mm, base tapering, not or slightly longitudinally ridged.

cup-shaped, 6.8–12 × (4–)4.8–9.1 mm, base tapering or rounded, not longitudinally ridged.

Seeds

coat anticlinal cell walls straight, papillae 4–17 per cell.

coat anticlinal cell walls wavy, papillae 6–14 per cell.

2n

= 22.

= 18.

Mentzelia albescens

Mentzelia perennis

Phenology Flowering May–Nov. Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Dry grasslands, xeric habitats of arroyos, roadsides, roadcuts, washes, chat piles, slopes. Roadsides, hillside slopes, gypsum-rich soils.
Elevation 200–1600 m. (700–5200 ft.) 1200–2200 m. (3900–7200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
KS; MO; OK; TX; South America (Argentina, Chile)
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Mentzelia perennis is known from central New Mexico.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 518. FNA vol. 12, p. 507.
Parent taxa Loasaceae > Mentzelia > sect. Bartonia Loasaceae > Mentzelia > sect. Bartonia
Sibling taxa
M. affinis, M. albicaulis, M. argillicola, M. argillosa, M. aspera, M. asperula, M. candelariae, M. canyonensis, M. chrysantha, M. collomiae, M. congesta, M. conspicua, M. crocea, M. cronquistii, M. decapetala, M. densa, M. desertorum, M. dispersa, M. eremophila, M. filifolia, M. floridana, M. flumensevera, M. goodrichii, M. gracilenta, M. hirsutissima, M. holmgreniorum, M. hualapaiensis, M. humilis, M. integra, M. involucrata, M. inyoensis, M. isolata, M. jonesii, M. laciniata, M. laevicaulis, M. lagarosa, M. leucophylla, M. librina, M. lindheimeri, M. lindleyi, M. longiloba, M. marginata, M. memorabilis, M. mexicana, M. micrantha, M. mollis, M. monoensis, M. montana, M. multicaulis, M. multiflora, M. nitens, M. nuda, M. obscura, M. oligosperma, M. oreophila, M. pachyrhiza, M. packardiae, M. paradoxensis, M. pectinata, M. perennis, M. polita, M. procera, M. pterosperma, M. puberula, M. pumila, M. ravenii, M. reflexa, M. reverchonii, M. rhizomata, M. rusbyi, M. saxicola, M. shultziorum, M. sivinskii, M. speciosa, M. springeri, M. strictissima, M. thompsonii, M. tiehmii, M. todiltoensis, M. torreyi, M. tricuspis, M. tridentata, M. uintahensis, M. veatchiana
M. affinis, M. albescens, M. albicaulis, M. argillicola, M. argillosa, M. aspera, M. asperula, M. candelariae, M. canyonensis, M. chrysantha, M. collomiae, M. congesta, M. conspicua, M. crocea, M. cronquistii, M. decapetala, M. densa, M. desertorum, M. dispersa, M. eremophila, M. filifolia, M. floridana, M. flumensevera, M. goodrichii, M. gracilenta, M. hirsutissima, M. holmgreniorum, M. hualapaiensis, M. humilis, M. integra, M. involucrata, M. inyoensis, M. isolata, M. jonesii, M. laciniata, M. laevicaulis, M. lagarosa, M. leucophylla, M. librina, M. lindheimeri, M. lindleyi, M. longiloba, M. marginata, M. memorabilis, M. mexicana, M. micrantha, M. mollis, M. monoensis, M. montana, M. multicaulis, M. multiflora, M. nitens, M. nuda, M. obscura, M. oligosperma, M. oreophila, M. pachyrhiza, M. packardiae, M. paradoxensis, M. pectinata, M. polita, M. procera, M. pterosperma, M. puberula, M. pumila, M. ravenii, M. reflexa, M. reverchonii, M. rhizomata, M. rusbyi, M. saxicola, M. shultziorum, M. sivinskii, M. speciosa, M. springeri, M. strictissima, M. thompsonii, M. tiehmii, M. todiltoensis, M. torreyi, M. tricuspis, M. tridentata, M. uintahensis, M. veatchiana
Synonyms Bartonia albescens, B. wrightii
Name authority (Gillies ex Arnott) Bentham & Hooker f. ex Grisebach: Abh. Königl. Ges. Wiss. Göttingen 19: 150. (1874) Wooton: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 25: 260. (1898)
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