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Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Annual Forbs Around Las Vegas, Vegetation Around Las Vegas
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Whitestem Blazingstar: white stems and small yellow flowers

General: Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis) is a sparsely leaved, stiff hairy, upright annual forb with white stems and small, pale-yellow flowers. The flowers have five petals and many stamens. The overall plant from is variable, ranging from densely upright small shrubs to single, spindly stems with a few flowers.

There are a number of species of Blazingstar that can be hard to identify. In this species, the basal leaves are petioled and entire, while the cauline leaves are sessile and usually lobed. The flower petals are short (less than 8 mm long), and the flower bracts are narrow. The mature fruit is cylindrical, (more than 15 mm long and less than 4 mm wide), and slightly curved. In the distal part of the fruit, seeds are arranged in 3 rows.

Whitestem Blazingstar is a fairly common component of desert vegetation communities during the spring. It can be found on dry, well-drained sandy and gravelly desert flats, bajadas, and moderate slopes in the lower mountains in the Lower Sonora (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) life zones.

Family: Loasa (Loasaceae).

Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)Plant form variable: upright sub-shrub Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Plant form variable: low-growing annual belly-flowers
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Plant form variable: upright and dense
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Plant form variable: upright and spindly
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Plant form variable: low-growing and dense
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Plant form variable: low-growing and sparse
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Plant form variable: sparse, small leaves
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Plant form variable: sparse, larger leaves
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Plant form variable: single, upright, stout stem
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Plant form variable: single, upright, spindly stem
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Stems white
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Stems white
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Cauline leaves generally lobed
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Cauline leaves sometimes entire
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Cauline leaves sessile
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Cauline leaves sessile
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Cauline leaves with lobes only in the middle
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Cauline leaves with lobes only on one side
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Flowers yellow, small, with 5 petals and many stamens
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Flowers yellow, small, with 5 petals and many stamens
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Flowers grow atop long, narrow ovary
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Flowers yellow, rarely with a bit of red
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Flower bracts narrow, persist on fruits
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Flower bracts narrow, persist on fruits
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Style often persistent atop developing fruit
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Style often persistent atop developing fruit
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Plant with few leaves and many fruits
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Plant with few leaves and many fruits
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Flower and fruits
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Flower and fruits
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Mature fruits long and narrow, slightly curved
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Mature fruits long and narrow, slightly curved
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Developing and mature fruits
Whitestem Blazingstar (Mentzelia albicaulis)
Developing and mature fruits

Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate. Names generally follow the USDA database.
copyright; Last updated 240905

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