Mentzelia polita
Polished blazing star, Polished Blazing Star
(c) Stan Shebs, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Loasaceae · Type: Subshrub · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2
Mentzelia polita (Polished blazing star) is a native California subshrub in the Loasaceae family, recognized by perennial with pale flowers and winged seeds on gypsum soils.
Polished blazing star is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in the eastern Mojave Desert, specifically in the northeastern Clark Mountain Range, inhabiting washes and limestone or gypsum-rich soils at elevations of 1,200 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from April to August, this plant produces white to pale or golden-yellow flowers 8 to 11 millimeters long with rounded tips. Growing 12 to 33 centimeters tall with erect to decumbent stems that are much branched and glabrous to slightly hairy, it emerges from a branched taproot. Its leaves are linear to narrowly elliptic, 1.5 to 8.5 centimeters long and generally entire, ranging from 2 to 10 millimeters wide. The fruit is an erect, cup-shaped structure 4.5 to 9 millimeters long, containing pale gray or light brown seeds with white to light brown wings.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 15 sympatric species; perennial with pale flowers and winged seeds on gypsum soils
Habitat and range
Habitat: Washes, limestone, +- white gypsum-rich soils
Elevation: 1200-1500 m
California counties: San Bernardino
Outside California: southern Nevada
Bloom period
Mentzelia polita blooms Apr-Aug.
Conservation status
CNPS 1B.2
How to tell it apart
vs Camissoniopsis: Mentzelia has many stamens and 3 stigmas; Camissoniopsis has 8 stamens and 4 stigmas.; vs Leptosiphon: Mentzelia has free petals and many stamens; Leptosiphon has fused petals forming a tube.; vs Emmenanthe: Mentzelia has free petals and 3 stigmas; Emmenanthe has fused bell-shaped petals.; vs Eschscholzia: Mentzelia has many stamens and 3 stigmas; Eschscholzia has many stamens and 4 stigmas.; vs Potentilla: Mentzelia has 3 stigmas and capsule fruit; Potentilla has many pistils and achene fruits.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mentzelia polita native to California?
Yes. Mentzelia polita is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Mentzelia polita bloom?
Mentzelia polita blooms Apr-Aug.
Where in California does Mentzelia polita grow?
Mentzelia polita occurs in San Bernardino, at elevations of 1200-1500 m.
What plant family does Mentzelia polita belong to?
Mentzelia polita is in the Loasaceae family, genus Mentzelia.
Is Mentzelia polita rare or endangered?
Mentzelia polita carries California Rare Plant Rank 1B.2, state rank S2?.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.