Mentzelia veatchiana
Veatch's blazing star
Photo by Chez Brungraber
Family: Loasaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Mentzelia veatchiana (Veatch's blazing star) is a native California herb in the Loasaceae family, recognized by orange/yellow petals with red/orange base.
Veatch's blazing star is a California native annual found in northern Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi, San Joaquin Valley, southern Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, Great Basin, and Desert regions in diverse habitats including desert, grassland, scrub, and oak/pine woodland at elevations of 200 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces orange to yellow flowers with red to orange bases, typically 4 to 7 millimeters long. Growing with erect, hairy stems 3 to 45 centimeters tall, it displays a variable growth habit in arid landscapes. Its leaves vary from lobed in lower portions to toothed or entire in upper portions, ranging from 1 to 18 centimeters long. The fruit is an erect to slightly curved capsule 8 to 28 millimeters long, containing irregularly angular seeds with distinctive dark mottling.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 27 sympatric species; orange/yellow petals with red/orange base are diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Loamy to sandy desert, grassland, scrub, oak/pine woodland
Elevation: 200-2500 m
California counties: Los Angeles, Kern, San Bernardino, Inyo, Ventura, Riverside, Orange, Siskiyou, Tulare, San Diego, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Modoc, Mono, Imperial, Alameda, Alpine, Fresno, Lassen, Nevada, Plumas, San Benito, Stanislaus, San Luis Obispo, Sierra, Sutter
Outside California: Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Baja California
Bloom period
Mentzelia veatchiana blooms Mar-Jun.
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 veatchiana native to California?
Yes. Mentzelia veatchiana is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Mentzelia veatchiana bloom?
Mentzelia veatchiana blooms Mar-Jun.
Where in California does Mentzelia veatchiana grow?
Mentzelia veatchiana occurs in Los Angeles, Kern, San Bernardino, Inyo, Ventura, Riverside, Orange, Siskiyou and other counties, at elevations of 200-2500 m.
What plant family does Mentzelia veatchiana belong to?
Mentzelia veatchiana is in the Loasaceae family, genus Mentzelia.
What habitat does Mentzelia veatchiana grow in?
Mentzelia veatchiana grows in Loamy to sandy desert, grassland, scrub, oak/pine woodland.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- 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
- Mentzelia dispersa — Bushy blazingstar
- Petalonyx linearis — Long leaved sandpaper plant
- Petalonyx nitidus — Shiny leaf sandpaper plant
- Petalonyx sp. — Sandpaper-plant
- Petalonyx thurberi — Sandpaper plant
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
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.