Mentzelia multicaulis
Mentzelia packardiae
manystem blazingstar, multiple-branch blazingstar
Packard's blazingstar, Packard's mentzelia, Packard's stick-leaf
multiple, erect or decumbent, zigzag or straight;
branches distal or along entire stem, distal longest or all ± equal, antrorse, straight to upcurved; hairy.
blade 20–49(–57) × 4.2–19 mm, widest intersinus distance 1.1–5.3 mm;
proximal oblanceolate to elliptic, margins pinnate to pinnatisect, lobes 4–10, slightly antrorse, 0.7–7.6 mm;
distal linear to lanceolate, base not clasping, margins entire or pinnate, lobes 0–10, slightly antrorse, 1.9–7.8 mm;
abaxial surface with simple grappling-hook trichomes, adaxial surface with grappling-hook and needlelike trichomes.
persisting or not.
petiole present or absent (proximal leaves), absent (distal leaves);
blade lanceolate to linear (proximal leaves), ovate to linear (distal leaves), to 10(–14) cm, margins dentate or entire (proximal leaves), entire (distal leaves).
margins entire.
green, ovate to elliptic, 4.3–8.3 × 1.9–3.2 mm, width 1/3–2/3 length, not concealing capsule, margins entire.
petals golden yellow, 10.6–17.9 × 5.1–9 mm, apex obtuse, glabrous abaxially;
stamens golden yellow, 5 outermost petaloid, filaments oblanceolate, slightly clawed, 6.5–10.5 × 2–4.5 mm, with anthers, second whorl with anthers;
anthers twisted or straight after dehiscence, epidermis smooth;
styles 6–11.5 mm.
sepals 4–10 mm;
petals orange proximally, yellow distally, 10–20 mm, apex rounded to retuse;
stamens 20+, 4–13 mm, filaments monomorphic, filiform, unlobed;
styles 6–14 mm.
cup-shaped to cylindric, 6–13.6 × 3.4–6 mm, base tapering to rounded, not longitudinally ridged.
narrow-cylindric, 8–35 × 2.5–4 mm, axillary curved to 45° at maturity, often prominently longitudinally ribbed.
coat anticlinal cell walls straight, papillae 4–9 per cell.
10–20, in 1 row distal to mid fruit, tan, dark-mottled or not, triangular prisms, surface ±smooth to minutely tessellate under 10x magnification; recurved flap over hilum absent;
seed coat cell outer periclinal wall flat to slightly convex.
= 22.
= 72.
Mentzelia multicaulis
Mentzelia packardiae
Mentzelia multicaulis is known to occur in Eagle, Grand, and Summit counties.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Mentzelia packardiae is the most narrowly distributed species in sect. Trachyphytum, known only from the Leslie Gulch area in eastern Malheur County. During most years, M. packardiae is predominantly limited to barren, ash-derived gravel slopes. A reported collection from Elko County, Nevada, is most likely from a large-flowered population of M. dispersa (N. H. Holmgren et al. 2005). Mentzelia packardiae can be distinguished from M. dispersa by its larger flowers with longer petals [10–20 mm versus 2–6(–8) mm] and styles [6–14 mm versus 2–3.5(–5) mm], and its wider capsules (2.5–4 mm versus 1–2.5 mm).
Mentzelia packardiae is listed as threatened by the Oregon Department of Agriculture and is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
OR
Flora NW
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