Common names:
Solitary blazing star, pinyon blazingstar
Family:
Scientific name:
Mentzelia eremophila
Main flower color:
Range:
South California
Height:
Up to 16 inches
Habitat:
Washes, canyons, roadsides, desert scrub, between 2,000 and 4,000 feet
Leaves:
Lanceolate to linear, pinnately lobed, up to 6 inches long
Season:
March to May
Mentzelia eremophila has limited distribution in southern California, mostly along the western edge of the Mojave Desert. Stems are light brown in color, branched, and usually have a covering of short hairs. Leaves are irregularly pinnately lobed; divided almost to the midvein, and those at the base are up to 6 inches long; upper stem leaves are much shorter, and may be unlobed. Flowers are subtended by lance-shaped bracts, which may have a pair of small teeth, or lobes, near the base.
Flowers form in a small cluster at the branch tips, and they consist of five obovate, pure yellow petals, often greenish at the base, around a group of yellow stamens and styles. Petals are up to one inch in length, over twice as long as the stamens.
Flowers form in a small cluster at the branch tips, and they consist of five obovate, pure yellow petals, often greenish at the base, around a group of yellow stamens and styles. Petals are up to one inch in length, over twice as long as the stamens.
All Contents © Copyright The American Southwest | Comments and Questions | Contribute | Site Map