Mentzelia nitens
Encyclopedia
Mentzelia nitens is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae
known by the common names shining blazingstar and Venus blazingstar. It is native to the Mojave Desert
and adjacent desert and mountain areas of eastern California
and southern Nevada
.
The inflorescence
is a cluster of a few bright yellow flowers with petals up to 1.5 centimeters long and sometimes marked with red near the bases. The fruit is a narrow, curving utricle up to 2.6 centimeters in length which contains many minute seeds which are bumpy under magnification
.
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 names shining blazingstar and Venus blazingstar. It is native to the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
and adjacent desert and mountain areas of eastern 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...
and southern Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
.
Description
It is an annual herb producing an erect, whitish-green, sometimes slightly hairy stem up to about 34 centimeters in maximum height. The lobed leaves are up to 15 centimeters long in the basal rosette, and those higher on the stem are reduced in size and sometimes unlobed.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 a few bright yellow flowers with petals up to 1.5 centimeters long and sometimes marked with red near the bases. The fruit is a narrow, curving utricle up to 2.6 centimeters in length which contains many minute seeds which are bumpy under magnification
Magnification
Magnification is the process of enlarging something only in appearance, not in physical size. This enlargement is quantified by a calculated number also called "magnification"...
.