The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

wavy-leaf blazingstar

grassland blazingstar

Habit Plants biennial, candelabra-form. Plants biennial, candelabra-form.
Stems

solitary, erect, straight;

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

solitary (or multiple as wound response), 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 28–70 × 5.8–17.2 mm, widest intersinus distance 3.4–11.4 mm;

proximal oblanceolate, lanceolate, or elliptic, margins dentate to pinnate, teeth or lobes 10–20, perpendicular to leaf axis, 0.9–3.1 mm;

distal lanceolate, base usually not clasping, rarely clasping, margins usually dentate, occasionally serrate, teeth 8–18, usually perpendicular to leaf axis, occasionally slightly antrorse, 0.6–5.4 mm;

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

Bracts

margins entire.

margins entire or toothed.

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 white, 14.7–22(–24.4) × 1.9–4.4 mm, apex acute, glabrous abaxially;

stamens white, 5 outermost petaloid, filaments narrowly spatulate, slightly clawed, 13.3–23.1 × 1.3–3.1(–4.4) mm, without anthers, second whorl without anthers;

anthers straight after dehiscence, epidermis smooth;

styles 7.6–12.9 mm.

Capsules

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

cup-shaped to cylindric, 10.2–20.1 × 6.7–9.6 mm, base rounded to occasionally tapering, not longitudinally ridged.

Seeds

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

coat anticlinal cell walls wavy, papillae 3–8 per cell.

2n

= 22.

= 20.

Mentzelia albescens

Mentzelia strictissima

Phenology Flowering May–Nov. Flowering May–Oct.
Habitat Dry grasslands, xeric habitats of arroyos, roadsides, roadcuts, washes, chat piles, slopes. Arid grasslands.
Elevation 200–1600 m. (700–5200 ft.) 800–1800 m. (2600–5900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
KS; MO; OK; TX; South America (Argentina, Chile)
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NM; TX
[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.)

See discussion under 5. Mentzelia nuda.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 518. FNA vol. 12, p. 505.
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. rhizomata, M. rusbyi, M. saxicola, M. shultziorum, M. sivinskii, M. speciosa, M. springeri, M. thompsonii, M. tiehmii, M. todiltoensis, M. torreyi, M. tricuspis, M. tridentata, M. uintahensis, M. veatchiana
Synonyms Bartonia albescens, B. wrightii Nuttallia strictissima
Name authority (Gillies ex Arnott) Bentham & Hooker f. ex Grisebach: Abh. Königl. Ges. Wiss. Göttingen 19: 150. (1874) (Wooton & Standley) J. Darlington: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 21: 163. (1934)
Web links