Mentzelia crocea

Kellogg

Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 7: 110. 1877.

Common names: Sierra blazingstar
Endemic
Synonyms: Mentzelia lindleyi subsp. crocea (Kellogg.) C. B. Wolf
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 12. Treatment on page 536. Mentioned on page 532, 538.

Plants candelabra-form, 30–70 (–100) cm. Basal leaves persisting; petiole present or absent; blade lanceolate to linear, margins usually shallowly, rarely deeply, lobed. Cauline leaves: petiole absent; blade ovate to lanceolate, to 40 cm, margins deeply to shallowly lobed. Bracts green, broadly ovate to lanceolate, 6–12.7 × 3.5–7.7 mm, width 1/2–4/5 length, not concealing capsule, margins 3–10-lobed. Flowers: sepals 7–20 mm; petals usually orange, rarely yellow, proximally, yellow distally, usually elliptic to ovate, rarely obovate, 21–42 × 8–17 (–21) mm, apex acute; stamens 20+, 11–40 mm, filaments heteromorphic, 5 outermost linear, inner filiform, unlobed; styles 20–35 mm. Capsules clavate, 20–35 × 3–5 mm, axillary curved to 45° at maturity, usually inconspicuously longitudinally ribbed. Seeds 30–40, in 2+ rows distal to mid fruit, tan, dark-mottled, irregularly polygonal, surface minutely tessellate under 10× magnification; recurved flap over hilum absent; seed-coat cell outer periclinal wall domed, domes on seed edges less than 1/2 as tall as wide at maturity. 2n = 36.


Phenology: Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat: Rocky slopes, roadsides, grasslands, oak-pine woodlands.
Elevation: 150–1700 m.

Discussion

Mentzelia crocea and M. lindleyi are very similar morphologically and are most reliably distinguished geographically, with M. crocea occurring on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada and M. lindleyi occurring in the Coast Ranges. Low fertility of interspecific crosses supports recognition as separate species (H. J. Thompson 1960), which has been substantiated by genetic differences and non-sister relationships of the two species (J. M. Brokaw and L. Hufford 2010b).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"not elongating" is not a number.

... more about "Mentzelia crocea"
heteromorphic +
filiform +
Joshua M. Brokaw +
Kellogg +
not +  and persistent +
Mentzelia +
ovate;lanceolate +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
1/(1/2-4/5) +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1.27 cm12.7 mm <br />0.0127 m <br />) +
broadly ovate;lanceolate +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.77 cm7.7 mm <br />0.0077 m <br />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
Sierra blazingstar +
150–1700 m. +
curved +  and straight +
s--shaped +, clavate +, urceolate +, ovoid +, cylindric +, subcylindric +, lingulate +  and cup-shaped +
Rocky slopes, roadsides, grasslands, oak-pine woodlands. +
free +  and adnate +
unlobed +  and filiform +
cauline +  and basal +
pinnatisect +, pinnate +  and entire +
3-10-lobed +  and lobed +
elliptic +  and linear +
apical +, subapical +  and inferior +
inconspicuous +
1.7 cm17 mm <br />0.017 m <br /> (2.1 cm21 mm <br />0.021 m <br />) +
yellow +  and orange +
connate +  and distinct +
21mm;42mm +
spreading +  and erect +
hairy +  and glabrous +
obovate +, usually elliptic +  and ovate +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.7 cm17 mm <br />0.017 m <br />) +
Flowering May–Jun. +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. +
dark-mottled +  and tan +
polygonal +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br />) +
persistent +
lanceolate +  and narrowly ovate +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
adnate +, free +  and distinct +
included +  and exserted +
8 +  and 45 +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
decumbent +, clambering +  and erect +
papillate +
3-lobed +  and lingulate +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
Mentzelia lindleyi subsp. crocea +
Mentzelia crocea +
Mentzelia sect. Trachyphytum +
species +
dendritic +  and unbranched +
straight +
70 cm700 mm <br />0.7 m <br /> (100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br />) +