Mentzelia tridentata
Creamy blazing star, Creamy Blazing Star
(c) william_hoyer, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Loasaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 1B.3
Mentzelia tridentata (Creamy blazing star) is a native California herb in the Loasaceae family, recognized by seed shape and stamen structure distinguish from M. tricuspis.
Creamy blazing star is a rare (CNPS 1B.3) California native annual found in the central Mojave Desert in creosote-bush scrub at elevations of 700 to 1,300 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces white to pale-yellow flowers with widely obovate petals 10 to 40 millimeters long, featuring delicate mucronate tips. Growing 5 to 25 centimeters tall with erect, hairy stems, the plant develops distinctively wavy to toothed lanceolate leaves 1 to 9 centimeters long. Its leaves are petioled with a characteristic oblanceolate shape, varying from smooth to slightly serrated edges. The fruit is an erect to reflexed cylindric capsule 9 to 18 millimeters long, containing small ashy-white seeds with a distinctive beak.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 15 sympatric species; seed shape and stamen structure distinguish from M. tricuspis
Habitat and range
Habitat: Creosote-bush scrub
Elevation: 700-1300 m
California counties: San Bernardino, Inyo, Kern
Bloom period
Mentzelia tridentata blooms Apr-May.
Conservation status
CNPS 1B.3
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 tridentata native to California?
Yes. Mentzelia tridentata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Mentzelia tridentata bloom?
Mentzelia tridentata blooms Apr-May.
Where in California does Mentzelia tridentata grow?
Mentzelia tridentata occurs in San Bernardino, Inyo, Kern, at elevations of 700-1300 m.
What plant family does Mentzelia tridentata belong to?
Mentzelia tridentata is in the Loasaceae family, genus Mentzelia.
Is Mentzelia tridentata rare or endangered?
Mentzelia tridentata carries California Rare Plant Rank 1B.3, state rank S3.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Mentzelia veatchiana — Veatch's blazing star
- Mentzelia affinis — Yellow blazing star
- Mentzelia albicaulis — Small flowered blazing star
- Mentzelia congesta — Clustered blazing star
- Mentzelia crocea — Saffron blazing star
- Mentzelia desertorum — Desert blazing star
- Petalonyx linearis — Long leaved sandpaper plant
- Petalonyx nitidus — Shiny leaf sandpaper plant
- Petalonyx sp. — Sandpaper-plant
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.