Mentzelia longiloba var. longiloba

Dune blazing star

Family: Loasaceae · Type: biennial · Native

Dune blazing star is a California native biennial found in desert regions in sandy dunes, washes, and creosote-bush scrub at elevations below 800 meters. Flowering from October to June, this plant produces vibrant yellow flowers 12 to 20 millimeters long with rounded tips that stand out against its branching form. Growing 25 to 65 centimeters tall with erect, openly branched stems covered in distinctive hairs, it develops a complex structure with variable leaf shapes. Its leaves range from oblanceolate to elliptic, with proximal leaves 1 to 15 centimeters long that are often crenate or pinnately lobed, while upper leaves become more lanceolate and toothed. The fruit is an erect cylindrical capsule 9.5 to 16 millimeters long, containing light brown seeds with white wing-like margins.

Habitat: Desert dunes, sandy flats, washes, creosote-bush scrub

Bloom period: Oct-Jun

Elevation: < 800 m

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