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wavy-leaf blazingstar

Roan Cliffs blazingstar

Habit Plants biennial, candelabra-form. Plants perennial, bushlike, with rhizomes.
Stems

solitary, erect, straight;

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

multiple, erect or decumbent, zigzag;

branches along entire stem, distal 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 8.1–29 × 4.1–12.7 mm, widest intersinus distance 4.1–7.4 mm;

proximal oblanceolate, margins entire;

distal elliptic, base not clasping, margins entire or dentate, teeth 0–8, perpendicular to leaf axis, 0.6–2.7 mm;

abaxial surface with simple grappling-hook and needlelike trichomes, adaxial surface with 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, 12.5–17.2 × 6.1–11.2 mm, apex rounded to obtuse, glabrous abaxially;

stamens golden yellow, 5 outermost petaloid, filaments narrowly spatulate, strongly clawed, 7–9.5 × 2.7–6 mm, with anthers, second whorl with anthers;

anthers straight after dehiscence, epidermis smooth;

styles 7–10 mm.

Capsules

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

cup-shaped, 7–10 × 6.5–8 mm, base rounded, not longitudinally ridged.

Seeds

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

coat anticlinal cell walls straight, papillae 9–13 per cell.

2n

= 22.

Mentzelia albescens

Mentzelia rhizomata

Phenology Flowering May–Nov. Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Dry grasslands, xeric habitats of arroyos, roadsides, roadcuts, washes, chat piles, slopes. Sparsely vegetated, steep talus slopes with loose gravelly soils.
Elevation 200–1600 m. (700–5200 ft.) 1700–2100 m. (5600–6900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
KS; MO; OK; TX; South America (Argentina, Chile)
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO
[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 rhizomata is known only from Garfield County.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 518. FNA vol. 12, p. 513.
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. perennis, M. polita, M. procera, M. pterosperma, M. puberula, M. pumila, M. ravenii, M. reflexa, M. reverchonii, 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 Nuttallia rhizomata
Name authority (Gillies ex Arnott) Bentham & Hooker f. ex Grisebach: Abh. Königl. Ges. Wiss. Göttingen 19: 150. (1874) Reveal: Syst. Bot. 27: 763, figs. 1, 2. (2002)
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