- Mentzelia gracilenta
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Mentzelia gracilenta Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Asterids Order: Cornales Family: Loasaceae Genus: Mentzelia Species: M. gracilenta Binomial name Mentzelia gracilenta
Torr. & A.GraySynonyms Mentzelia ravenii
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.
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 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.
External links
Categories:- Mentzelia
- Endemic flora of California
- Flora of California chaparral and woodlands
- Transverse Ranges
- Asterid stubs
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