Mentzelia montana
Encyclopedia
Mentzelia montana is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae
known by the common name variegated bract blazingstar. It is native to much of western North America including the western United States and northern Mexico. It is a member of the flora in many types of habitat.
This is an annual herb producing an erect stem approaching half a meter in maximum height. The leaves are mostly unlobed, the longest in the basal rosette up to 13 centimeters long and those higher on the stem reduced in size.
The inflorescence
is a narrow series of clusters of small flowers, each flower accompanied by a single toothed bract
with a white base and green tip. The five yellow petals of the flower are up to 7 millimeters long and are sometimes marked with red at the bases. The fruit is a narrow utricle up to 2 centimeters containing several 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 variegated bract blazingstar. It is native to much of western North America including the western United States and northern Mexico. It is a member of the flora in many types of habitat.
This is an annual herb producing an erect stem approaching half a meter in maximum height. The leaves are mostly unlobed, the longest in the basal rosette up to 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 narrow series of clusters of small flowers, each flower accompanied by a single toothed 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...
with a white base and green tip. The five yellow petals of the flower are up to 7 millimeters long and are sometimes marked with red at the bases. The fruit is a narrow utricle up to 2 centimeters containing several tiny, angular seeds.