Mentzelia decapetala |
Mentzelia polita |
|
---|---|---|
10-petal western star, evening starflower, gumbo-lily, tenpetal blazingstar |
elegant blazing star, polished blazing star |
|
Habit | Plants biennial or perennial, bushlike, perennials with ground-level caudices. | Plants perennial, bushlike, with subterranean caudices. |
Stems | solitary, erect, straight; branches distal or along entire stem, proximal or distal longest, antrorse, straight to upcurved; hairy. |
multiple, erect, zigzag or straight; branches along entire stem, distal longest, antrorse, straight to upcurved; glabrescent, smooth to touch. |
Leaves | blade 72–295 × 14–45 mm, widest intersinus distance 10.1–23.3 mm; proximal oblanceolate or elliptic, margins serrate to pinnate, teeth or lobes 16–26, slightly antrorse, 1–16.5 mm; distal elliptic to lanceolate, base clasping or not, margins serrate to pinnate, teeth or lobes 9–20, slightly antrorse, 5.3–13.7 mm; surfaces with needlelike trichomes. |
blade 16–84 × 2.2–10.6 mm, widest intersinus distance 2.2–7 mm; proximal oblanceolate, margins usually entire, occasionally dentate, teeth 0–6(–14), perpendicular to leaf axis, 1–2 mm; distal elliptic, lanceolate, or linear, base not clasping, margins usually entire, rarely dentate, teeth 0(–6), perpendicular to leaf axis, 0.6–2 mm; abaxial surface with complex grappling-hook and infrequently needlelike trichomes, adaxial surface with needlelike trichomes. |
Bracts | margins pinnate. |
margins entire. |
Flowers | petals white, 47–75 × 13–22.7 mm, apex acute to attenuate, glabrous abaxially; stamens white to yellow, 5 outermost petaloid, filaments spatulate, strongly clawed, 48–75 × 12–23 mm, without anthers, second whorl with anthers; anthers straight after dehiscence, epidermis smooth; styles 36–53 mm. |
petals light to golden yellow, 7.8–11(–14.2) × 1.9–2.8(–4.2) mm, apex rounded, glabrous abaxially; stamens white to light yellow, 5 outermost petaloid, filaments narrowly spatulate, slightly clawed, 5.9–9.2(–10.1) × 1.2–2.7 mm, with anthers, second whorl with anthers; anthers twisted after dehiscence, epidermis smooth; styles 5.2–7.6 mm. |
Capsules | cylindric, 30–43 × 12–17 mm, base tapering, not longitudinally ridged. |
cup-shaped, 4.5–8.8 × 5.8–8.8 mm, base rounded, not longitudinally ridged. |
Seeds | 2.3–4 mm; coat anticlinal cell walls straight, papillae 4–10 per cell. |
coat anticlinal cell walls straight, papillae 15–24 per cell. |
2n | = 22. |
= 22. |
Mentzelia decapetala |
Mentzelia polita |
|
Phenology | Flowering Jun–Aug(–Oct). | Flowering Apr–Aug. |
Habitat | Rock outcrops, slopes, dry short-grass prairies, riverbanks, roadsides, loam, limestone, sandy, silty, clayey, and gravelly soils. | Dry washes, arroyos, steep slopes. |
Elevation | 300–2400 m. (1000–7900 ft.) | 500–1500 m. (1600–4900 ft.) |
Distribution |
CO; IA; IL; KS; MN; MT; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; UT; WY; AB; MB; SK
|
CA; NV |
Discussion | Mentzelia decapetala is introduced in Grundy County, Illinois. It appears to be native throughout the rest of its distribution. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Mentzelia polita is known only from the Clark Mountains of San Bernardino County, California, and the Spring Mountains of Clark County, Nevada. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 504. | FNA vol. 12, p. 512. |
Parent taxa | Loasaceae > Mentzelia > sect. Bartonia | Loasaceae > Mentzelia > sect. Bartonia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Bartonia decapetala | |
Name authority | (Pursh) Urban: Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Ges. 10: 263. (1892) | A. Nelson: Bot. Gaz. 47: 427. (1909) |
Web links |