Kingdom Plantae Family Loasaceae Scientific name Mentzelia montana Rank Species | Order Cornales Genus Mentzelia Higher classification Mentzelia | |
Similar Mentzelia, Mentzelia polita, Mentzelia tricuspis, Mentzelia dispersa, Loasaceae | ||
Mentzelia montana, known by the common name variegated bract blazingstar, is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae.
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Distribution
The plant is native to much of western North America including the western United States and northern Mexico. It is a member of the flora in many types of habitat, including coniferous forests, chaparral, sagebrush scrub, and deserts.
Description
Mentzelia montana is an annual herb producing an erect stem approaching 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) in maximum height. The leaves are mostly unlobed, the longest in the basal rosette up to 13 centimeters long and those higher on the stem reduced in size.
The inflorescence is a narrow series of clusters of small flowers, each flower accompanied by a single toothed bract with a white base and green tip. The five yellow petals of the flower are up to 7 millimeters long and are sometimes marked with red at the bases.
The fruit is a narrow utricle up to 2 centimeters containing several tiny, angular seeds.