Mentzelia pectinata
Mentzelia monoensis
San Joaquin blazing star
Mono craters blazing star
persisting;
petiole present or absent;
blade lanceolate to linear, margins deeply to shallowly lobed.
persisting;
petiole present or absent;
blade linear-lanceolate to linear, margins usually moderately to shallowly lobed, rarely entire.
petiole absent;
blade ovate to linear, to 12 cm, margins deeply lobed to dentate.
petiole present or absent (proximal leaves), absent (distal leaves);
blade linear-lanceolate to linear (proximal leaves), ovate to linear (distal leaves), to 13 cm, margins usually moderately to shallowly lobed, rarely entire.
green, ovate to lanceolate, 6.6–12.8 × 1.9–6.8 mm, width 1/5–2/3 length, not concealing capsule, margins 3–7-lobed.
green, sometimes with white base, ovate, 3–4.1 × 1.1–1.7 mm, width 1/4–1/2 length, not concealing capsule, margins entire.
sepals 3–13 mm;
petals red to orange proximally, orange to yellow distally, 8–22 mm, apex mucronate, rounded, or retuse;
stamens 20+, 4–11 mm, filaments monomorphic, filiform, unlobed;
styles 5–13 mm.
sepals 2–3 mm;
petals orange proximally, yellow distally, 2–4 mm, apex retuse or rounded;
stamens 10–30, 2–3 mm, filaments monomorphic, filiform, unlobed;
styles 2–3 mm.
clavate, 12–35 × 2–4 mm, axillary curved to 90° at maturity, usually inconspicuously longitudinally ribbed.
cylindric or clavate, 6–15 × 2–3 mm, axillary curved to 20° at maturity, usually inconspicuously longitudinally ribbed.
20–40, in 2+ rows distal to mid fruit, tan, dark-mottled or not, usually irregularly polygonal, occasionally triangular prisms proximal to mid fruit, surface tuberculate under 10x magnification; recurved flap over hilum absent;
seed coat cell outer periclinal wall domed, domes on seed edges more than 1/2 as tall as wide at maturity.
15–30, in 2+ rows distal to mid fruit, tan, not 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.
= 18.
= 54.
Mentzelia pectinata
Mentzelia monoensis
Mentzelia pectinata occurs in Kern, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Tulare counties, around the southern rim of the San Joaquin Valley, extending into the Inner Coast Ranges and the southern foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Petal color varies from orange to yellow, and fully fertile artificial hybrids have been obtained between populations representing the extreme phenotypes (J. E. Zavortink 1966). Phylogenetic studies suggest that M. pectinata and M. congesta have hybridized to form several allopolyploid species (J. M. Brokaw and L. Hufford 2010b) despite their current allopatric distributions.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Mentzelia monoensis is narrowly distributed predominantly south of Mono Lake and north of Lake Crowley in Mono County, California, and is most commonly found in soils derived from the eruptions of the Mono Craters (J. M. Brokaw et al. 2015). Phylogenetic studies suggest that this hexaploid is the only allopolyploid derived from representatives of both the “Affines” and “Trachyphyta” clades (Brokaw and L. Hufford 2010b). Mentzelia monoensis is morphologically similar to sympatric populations of M. montana. However, the bracts of M. monoensis are more often unlobed and green throughout. Furthermore, seeds of M. monoensis have tan, unmottled coats that are always composed of cells that are rounded, appearing as shallow domes. In contrast, seeds of M. montana have mottled coats with cells that stand out as rough, pointed knobs along the seed edges.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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