Mentzelia tricuspis
Encyclopedia
Mentzelia tricuspis is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae
known by the common name spinyhair blazingstar. It is native to the Southwestern United States
and California
where it grows in deserts and adjacent mountains in scrub and woodland habitat.
It is an annual herb growing erect or spreading to a maximum height near 27 centimeters. The leaves are up to 12 centimeters long and toothed or wavy along the edges. The inflorescence
is a cluster of cream-colored flowers with petals up to 5 centimeters long and thready-tipped stamen
s. The fruit is a cylindrical utricle up to 1.5 centimeters long which contains many tiny whitish beaked 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 spinyhair blazingstar. It is native to the Southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
and California
California
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 deserts and adjacent mountains in scrub and woodland habitat.
It is an annual herb growing erect or spreading to a maximum height near 27 centimeters. The leaves are up to 12 centimeters long and toothed or wavy along the edges. 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 cream-colored flowers with petals up to 5 centimeters long and thready-tipped stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s. The fruit is a cylindrical utricle up to 1.5 centimeters long which contains many tiny whitish beaked seeds.