Mentzelia pectinata
Encyclopedia
Mentzelia pectinata is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae
known by the common name San Joaquin blazingstar.
, where it grows in the hills and mountains on either side of the San Joaquin Valley
, including the Temblor Range
, the Tehachapi Mountains
, and the southern Sierra Nevada. It grows on grassy slopes, woodlands, and other local habitat.
The inflorescence
is a cluster of flowers with orange to yellow petals up to 2 centimeters long and often marked with red near the bases. At the center of the flower are many whiskery stamen
s. The fruit is a narrow, straight utricle up to 3.5 centimeters long which contains many tiny, angular seeds.
Loasaceae
The Loasaceae is a family of 15-20 genera and about 200-260 species of flowering plants in the order Cornales, native to the Americas and Africa. The family comprises annual, biennial and perennial herbaceous plants, and a few shrubs and small trees.Genera...
known by the common name San Joaquin blazingstar.
Distribution
It is endemic to CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in the hills and mountains on either side of the San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
, including the Temblor Range
Temblor Range
The Temblor Range is a mountain range within the California Coast Ranges, at the southwestern extremity of the San Joaquin Valley in California in the United States. It runs in a northwest-southeasterly direction along the borders of Kern County and San Luis Obispo County. The name of the range is...
, the Tehachapi Mountains
Tehachapi Mountains
The Tehachapi Mountains , regionally also called The Tehachapis, are a mountain range in the Transverse Ranges system of California in the Western United States...
, and the southern Sierra Nevada. It grows on grassy slopes, woodlands, and other local habitat.
Description
Mentzelia pectinata is an annual herb producing an erect, green stem up to about half a meter tall. The leaves are up to 12 centimeters long in the basal rosette and divided into comblike lobes, and those higher on the stem are reduced in size.The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a cluster of flowers with orange to yellow petals up to 2 centimeters long and often marked with red near the bases. At the center of the flower are many whiskery stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s. The fruit is a narrow, straight utricle up to 3.5 centimeters long which contains many tiny, angular seeds.