Mentzelia pectinata var. pectinata

San joaquin blazing star

Family: Loasaceae · Type: annual · Native

San joaquin blazing star is a California native annual herb found in the central Coast Ranges and southwestern Sierra Nevada foothills on slopes with sandy to calcium-rich soils in grassland and oak-juniper woodland at elevations below 1,400 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces distinctive coppery orange flowers with darker orange to red bases, creating dramatic visual displays in its native habitats. Growing with slender stems up to 50 centimeters tall, it forms delicate, open branching structures. Its leaves are deeply lobed with serrated edges, creating a finely textured appearance along the plant's stems. When abundant, the plant can form spectacular mass flowering displays across its sandy grassland ecosystems.

Habitat: Slopes of sandy to gray-white, calcium-rich soils, grassland to oak-juniper woodland, sometimes forming mass displays

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: < 1400 m

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