Mentzelia eremophila |
Mentzelia hirsutissima |
|
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pinyon blazing star, solitary blazing star |
hairy blazingstar, hairy stickleaf |
|
Habit | Plants candelabra-form, (7–)30–50(–60) cm. | Plants (5–)15–30(–40) cm. |
Basal leaves | persisting; petiole present or absent; blade linear-lanceolate to linear, margins very deeply lobed, lobes slender. |
petioles present or absent; blade oblanceolate, to 11 cm; margins shallowly lobed, lobes rounded. |
Cauline leaves | petiole absent; blade ovate-lanceolate to linear, to 15 cm, margins deeply to shallowly lobed or entire. |
petioles absent; blade ovate to lanceolate, to 11 cm, base often cordate-clasping, margins deeply to shallowly lobed, lobes acute. |
Bracts | green, ovate to lanceolate, 4.8–12.4 × 0.9–3.5 mm, width 1/8–1/2 length, not concealing capsule, margins usually entire, rarely 2-lobed. |
green, inconspicuous, not concealing pedicel, ovary, or capsule. |
Flowers | sepals (7–)9–16 mm; petals yellow, 12–25 mm, apex acute or mucronate; stamens 20+, 3–10 mm, filaments monomorphic, filiform, unlobed; styles 7–15 mm. |
petals yellow to orange, obovate, 12–31 mm, apex mucronate; stamens 4–12 mm, less than 1/2 petal length, all fertile, none petaloid (flowers appearing to have 5 petals); filaments ±monomorphic, linear, most or all distally 2-lobed, lobes to 0.3 mm; anther stalk longer than filament lobes; style 6–15 mm. |
Capsules | clavate, 19–40 × 2–3.5 mm, axillary curved to 270° at maturity, usually inconspicuously longitudinally ribbed. |
cylindric to cup-shaped, 13–25 × 5–8 mm, erect. |
Seeds | 30–60, in 2+ rows distal to mid fruit, tan, usually dark-mottled, usually irregularly polygonal, occasionally triangular prisms proximal to mid fruit, surface colliculate under 10x magnification; recurved flap over hilum usually present; seed coat cell outer periclinal wall domed, domes on seed edges less than 1/2 as tall as wide at maturity. |
widest at middle, not grooved; seed coat anticlinal cell walls deeply wavy. |
2n | = 18. |
|
Mentzelia eremophila |
Mentzelia hirsutissima |
|
Phenology | Flowering Mar–May. | Flowering Apr–May. |
Habitat | Rocky slopes, washes, canyons, creosote-bush scrub. | Washes, fans, slopes, desert scrub. |
Elevation | 600–1300 m. (2000–4300 ft.) | 0–800 m. (0–2600 ft.) |
Distribution |
CA
|
CA; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora) |
Discussion | Mentzelia eremophila is narrowly distributed in eastern Kern and northwestern San Bernardino counties. It is morphologically similar and closely related to M. nitens (J. M. Brokaw and L. Hufford 2010). However, M. eremophila generally has longer sepals, petals, and styles, and populations of M. nitens have not been found south of Inyo County in California. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Mentzelia hirsutissima is superficially similar to M. tricuspis and M. tridentata, but these taxa can be distinguished geographically. Mentzelia hirsutissima is distributed primarily on the Baja California Peninsula and occurs in California only in San Diego and far western Imperial counties, whereas M. tricuspis and M. tridentata occur north and east of this distribution. California populations previously have been called M. hirsutissima var. stenophylla. However, G. S. Daniels (1970) found that characters used to distinguish varieties of M. hirsutissima were not stable within populations. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 537. | FNA vol. 12, p. 525. |
Parent taxa | Loasaceae > Mentzelia > sect. Trachyphytum | Loasaceae > Mentzelia > sect. Bicuspidaria |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | M. lindleyi var. eremophila | M. hirsutissima var. stenophylla, M. stenophylla |
Name authority | (Jepson) H. J. Thompson & J. E. Roberts: Phytologia 21: 281. (1971) | S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 12: 252. (1877) |
Web links |