Mentzelia micrantha

Chaparral blazing star

Family: Loasaceae · Type: annual · Native

Chaparral blazing star is a California native annual found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Coast Ranges, central western, and southwestern California in open, recently-burned or disturbed chaparral and oak woodland at elevations below 2,256 meters. Flowering from April to June, this plant produces bright yellow flowers with distinctive ovate petals 2.5 to 4.5 millimeters long. Growing 10 to 80 centimeters tall with erect, hairy stems, it forms an upright and somewhat delicate structure. Its leaves are 1 to 18 centimeters long, irregularly dentate, wavy, or lobed, creating a complex and textured foliage. The fruit is an erect to slightly curved cylindric capsule 6 to 13 millimeters long, containing 5 to 10 tan and dark-mottled seeds.

Habitat: Open, generally recently-burned or disturbed chaparral and oak woodland

Bloom period: Apr-Jun

Elevation: < 2256 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoR, CW, SW

California counties: Los Angeles, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Orange, Lake, San Bernardino, San Diego, Riverside, Monterey, Santa Clara, Tulare, Santa Barbara, Contra Costa, Glenn, Mendocino, Shasta, Tehama, Plumas, Yolo, Santa Cruz, Sierra, Colusa, Trinity, Napa, Kings, Fresno, Sonoma

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