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Pacific blazing star

Lindley's blazing star

Habit Plants candelabra-form, 8–45 cm. Plants candelabra-form, 30–70 cm.
Basal leaves

persisting;

petiole present or absent;

blade linear-lanceolate to linear, margins usually irregularly deeply lobed, lobes pointed.

persisting;

petiole present or absent;

blade lanceolate to linear, margins usually deeply lobed, lobes rounded.

Cauline leaves

petiole absent;

blade ovate-lanceolate to linear, to 15(–22) cm, margins few-lobed or entire.

petiole absent;

blade ovate to lanceolate, to 17 cm, margins deeply to shallowly lobed.

Bracts

green, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 2.9–8.2 × 1.1–1.9 mm, width 1/8–1/2 length, not concealing capsule, margins entire.

green, ovate to lanceolate, 6.1–14.2 × 3.6–5.1 mm, width 1/3–2/3 length, not concealing capsule, margins 3–7-lobed.

Flowers

sepals 2–6 mm;

petals yellow to orange proximally, yellow distally, 3–8 mm, apex rounded or acute apex;

stamens 20–40, 2–7 mm, filaments monomorphic, filiform, unlobed;

styles 2–6 mm.

sepals 9–19 mm;

petals orange proximally, yellow distally, obovate, 20–40 × (12–)16–33 mm, apex mucronate;

stamens 20+, 12–30 mm, filaments heteromorphic, 5 outermost linear, inner filiform, unlobed;

styles 15–24 mm.

Capsules

clavate, 11–31 × 1.5–3 mm, axillary curved to 250° at maturity, usually inconspicuously longitudinally ribbed.

clavate, 25–40 × 4–5 mm, axillary curved to 90° at maturity, usually inconspicuously longitudinally ribbed.

Seeds

15–50, in 2+ rows distal to mid fruit, tan, usually not, occasionally sparsely, dark-mottled, usually irregularly polygonal, occasionally triangular prisms proximal to mid fruit, surface colliculate under 10x magnification; recurved flap over hilum absent;

seed coat cell outer periclinal wall domed, domes on seed edges less than 1/2 as tall as wide at maturity.

30–40, in 2+ rows distal to mid fruit, tan, dark-mottled or not, irregularly polygonal, surface minutely tessellate under 10x magnification; recurved flap over hilum absent;

seed coat cell outer periclinal wall domed, domes on seed edges less than 1/2 as tall as wide at maturity.

2n

= 36.

= 36.

Mentzelia obscura

Mentzelia lindleyi

Phenology Flowering Feb–May. Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Sandy to rocky washes or slopes, desert scrub, Joshua-tree woodlands, roadsides. Rocky, open slopes, coastal sage scrub, oak-pine woodlands.
Elevation 200–1700 m. (700–5600 ft.) 90–1400 m. (300–4600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Mentzelia obscura is morphologically intermediate to M. desertorum and M. albicaulis and is known to occur in mixed populations with both species. Reliable discrimination among these species usually requires mature seeds.

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

Naturally occurring populations of Mentzelia lindleyi are limited primarily to the Coast Ranges of the San Francisco Bay area. However, commercial distribution of seeds has resulted in casual alien populations of M. lindleyi throughout the southwestern United States. See 68. M. crocea for discussion of similarities between these species.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 540. FNA vol. 12, p. 538.
Parent taxa Loasaceae > Mentzelia > sect. Trachyphytum Loasaceae > Mentzelia > sect. Trachyphytum
Sibling taxa
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. 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. 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
Synonyms Bartonia aurea
Name authority H. J. Thompson & J. E. Roberts: Phytologia 21: 284. (1971) Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 533. (1840)
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