Mentzelia montana
| Mentzelia montana | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Cornales |
| Family: | Loasaceae |
| Genus: | Mentzelia |
| Species: | M. montana
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| Binomial name | |
| Mentzelia montana Davidson
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Mentzelia montana, known by the common name variegated bract blazingstar, is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae.
Description
[edit]Mentzelia montana is an annual herb producing an erect stem approaching 0.5 metres (1.6 ft) 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.[1]
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.[1]
The fruit is a narrow utricle up to 2 centimeters containing several tiny, angular seeds.
Taxonomy
[edit]The Latin specific epithet montana refers to mountains or coming from mountains.[2]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]The plant 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, including coniferous forests, chaparral, sagebrush scrub, and deserts.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Jepson Flora Project
- ^ Archibald William Smith A Gardener's Handbook of Plant Names: Their Meanings and Origins, p. 239, at Google Books
External links
[edit]- Mentzelia
- Flora of Northwestern Mexico
- Flora of the Western United States
- Flora of California
- Flora of Colorado
- Flora of Montana
- Flora of Nevada
- Flora of New Mexico
- Flora of Sonora
- Flora of Texas
- Flora of the Cascade Range
- Flora of the California desert regions
- Flora of the Great Basin
- Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)