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dal-pega, rough stickleaf, tropical blazingstar, tropical stickleaf

Habit Plants annual, without caudices or tubers.
Stems

erect to decumbent, to 30 cm.

Leaves

petiole 10–65 mm;

blade hastate to ovate, usually basally lobed, sometimes unlobed, to 18 × 10 cm, base cuneate to truncate, margins serrate to crenate, apex acute.

Pedicels

(fruiting) 1–3 × 2 mm (often appearing absent because thick and continuous with capsule).

Flowers

petals orange or yellow, 5–15 × 3–7 mm, apex cuspidate, hairy abaxially at apex;

stamens 20–30, 5 mm, filaments heteromorphic, 5 outermost narrowly spatulate, inner filiform;

style 5 mm.

Capsules

subcylindric to clavate, 9–30 × 3–3.5 mm, base tapering gradually, capsule and pedicel not well-differentiated.

Seeds

5–9 per capsule, pyriform to oblong, without transverse folds.

2n

= 20.

Mentzelia aspera

Phenology Flowering Aug–Oct.
Habitat Arroyo and canyon bottoms, grasslands, desert scrub, riparian cottonwood and willow vegetation.
Elevation 100–2000 m. (300–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced in Atlantic Islands (Cape Verde Islands)]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Mentzelia aspera is uncommon in southern Arizona. It is the most widespread species of the genus and is regarded as weedy by some authors (H. J. Thompson and A. M. Powell 1981).

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 528.
Parent taxa Loasaceae > Mentzelia > sect. Mentzelia
Sibling taxa
M. affinis, M. albescens, M. albicaulis, M. argillicola, M. argillosa, 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
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 516. (1753)
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