Mentzelia micrantha
Encyclopedia
Mentzelia micrantha is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae
known by the common name San Luis blazingstar.
It is native to the coastal mountain ranges of western North America from just north of the San Francisco Bay Area
to Baja California
. It grows in several types of mountain slope and hillside habitat, including chaparral
and sometimes disturbed areas.
herb
producing an erect green stem 10 to 80 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves are toothed or wavy along the edges, the longest in the basal rosette up to 18 centimeters long and those higher on the stem reduced in size.
The inflorescence
is an open array of several clusters of small flowers, each flower accompanied by a single wide bract
sometimes larger than the flower itself. The five yellow petals of the flower are under half a centimeter long. The fruit is a narrow cylindrical utricle containing several tiny, pyramidal 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 Luis blazingstar.
It is native to the coastal mountain ranges of western North America from just north of the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
to Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
. It grows in several types of mountain slope and hillside habitat, including chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
and sometimes disturbed areas.
Description
This is an annualAnnual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
herb
Herbaceous plant
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
producing an erect green stem 10 to 80 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves are toothed or wavy along the edges, the longest in the basal rosette up to 18 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 an open array of several clusters of small flowers, each flower accompanied by a single wide bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
sometimes larger than the flower itself. The five yellow petals of the flower are under half a centimeter long. The fruit is a narrow cylindrical utricle containing several tiny, pyramidal seeds.