Mentzelia gracilenta

Blazing star

Family: Loasaceae · Type: annual · Native

Blazing star is a California native annual found in southern San Francisco Bay, southern Coast Ranges, western Transverse Ranges, and western southern Great Basin in grasslands and pine/oak woodlands at elevations of 200 to 1,700 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces bright yellow flowers with orange bases, measuring 8 to 18 millimeters long and creating a vibrant display. Growing with erect, hairy stems 10 to 60 centimeters tall, the plant displays an open, delicate structure. Its lower leaves are distinctly lobed while upper leaves remain entire or slightly lobed, ranging from 2 to 13 centimeters in length. The fruit is an upright to slightly curved capsule 9 to 15 millimeters long, containing irregularly angular seeds.

Habitat: Generally unproductive substrates, including serpentine and calcium-rich soils, grassland to pine/oak woodland

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: 200-1700 m

Bioregions: s SnFrB, SCoR, WTR, w SnGb.

California counties: Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Kern, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, Stanislaus, Inyo, San Diego, Fresno, Sierra

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.