Mentzelia albicaulis

Mentzelia albicaulis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Cornales
Family: Loasaceae
Genus: Mentzelia
Species:
M. albicaulis
Binomial name
Mentzelia albicaulis
(Douglas ex Hook.) Douglas ex Torr. & A.Gray
Synonyms[1]
List
    • Acrolasia albicaulis (Douglas ex Hook.) Rydb.
    • Bartonia albicaulis Douglas ex Hook.
    • Mentzelia albicaulis var. genuina Urb. & Gilg

Mentzelia albicaulis is a species of flowering plants in the family Loasaceae known by the common names whitestem blazingstar,[2] white-stemmed stickleaf,[3] and small flowered blazing star. It is native to much of western North America, where it grows in mountain, desert, and plateau habitats.

Description

It is an annual herb producing a stem up to 42 centimeters long, sometimes growing upright. The leaves are up to 11 centimeters long in the basal rosette, divided into even comblike lobes, and smaller higher up on the plant. The flower has five shiny yellow petals 2 to 7 millimeters long each. The fruit is a narrow, straight or curving utricle 1 to 3 centimeters long. It contains many angular seeds covered in tiny bumps.

Taxonomy

Mentzelia albicaulis was first scientifically described in 1832 by William Jackson Hooker, crediting David Douglas, but as a species in the genus Bartonia. In 1840 it was moved to Mentzelia by John Torrey and Asa Gray, who also credited Douglas. Together with its genus it is classified in the Loasaceae family.[1]

Conservation

Though native to North America this species has not been evaluated by NatureServe and assigned a conservation status at the global level.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 "Mentzelia albicaulis (Douglas ex Hook.) Douglas ex Torr. & A.Gray". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  2. ↑ NRCS. "Mentzelia albicaulis". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  3. ↑ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  4. ↑ NatureServe (3 January 2025). "Mentzelia albicaulis". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 1 February 2025.