Mentzelia gracilenta
Encyclopedia
Mentzelia gracilenta is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae
known by the common name grass blazingstar. It is endemic to California
, where it is known only from the southern Coast Ranges and adjacent Transverse Ranges
of the Los Angeles area
. It grows in rugged mountain habitat including woodlands and rocky slopes.
The inflorescence
is a cluster of flowers each with five shiny yellow petals dotted with red at the bases, measuring roughly one to two centimeters long. The fruit is a narrow, curving utricle containing 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 grass blazingstar. It is endemic to 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 is known only from the southern Coast Ranges and adjacent Transverse Ranges
Transverse Ranges
The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region that runs along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie between...
of the Los Angeles area
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. It grows in rugged mountain habitat including woodlands and rocky slopes.
Description
This is an annual herb producing an erect greenish stem sometimes exceeding half a meter in maximum height. The leaves are divided deeply into comblike lobes, the longest in the basal rosette 13 centimeters long and those higher on the stem 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 each with five shiny yellow petals dotted with red at the bases, measuring roughly one to two centimeters long. The fruit is a narrow, curving utricle containing many tiny, angular seeds.