Mentzelia torreyi
Mentzelia monoensis
Torrey's blazing star
Mono craters blazing star
5–25 cm.
petiole absent;
blade ovate or obovate, to 45 × 35 mm, intersinus distance 2–4 mm.
persisting;
petiole present or absent;
blade linear-lanceolate to linear, margins usually moderately to shallowly lobed, rarely entire.
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, sometimes with white base, ovate, 3–4.1 × 1.1–1.7 mm, width 1/4–1/2 length, not concealing capsule, margins entire.
0(–1.5) mm.
petals yellow to orange, narrowly spatulate to obovate, 4.5–17 × 1.2–5 mm, apex rounded;
stamens 25–45, 7–21 mm;
styles 7–18 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.
3–7 × 3–4.5 mm.
cylindric or clavate, 6–15 × 2–3 mm, axillary curved to 20° at maturity, usually inconspicuously longitudinally ribbed.
3–9 per capsule, edges prominently to inconspicuously ridged.
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.
= 28.
= 54.
Mentzelia torreyi
Mentzelia monoensis
Varieties 2 (2 in flora).
In the phylogenetic study by L. Hufford et al. (2003), Mentzelia torreyi was recovered as the sister to the rest of the genus.
(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.)
1. Petals 8–17 mm, yellow; longest stamens to 1 mm longer than petals. | var. torreyi |
1. Petals 4.5–8 mm, orangish yellow, orange, or burnt orange; longest stamens usually much more than 1 mm longer than petals. | var. acerosa |
CA
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
