Biology:Mentzelia oreophila

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Short description: Species of flowering plant

Mentzelia oreophila
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Cornales
Family: Loasaceae
Genus: Mentzelia
Species:
M. oreophila
Binomial name
Mentzelia oreophila
J.Darl.

Mentzelia oreophila is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae known by the common name Argus blazingstar. It is native to the Southwestern United States and the Mojave Desert sky islands in California . It grows in rocky desert and scrub habitat.

Description

It is a perennial herb producing several tangling, sometimes multibranched stems up to 40 centimeters long which are whitish in color and peeling in texture. The leaves are wavy and sometimes toothed, the upper ones clasping the stem.

The inflorescence is an array of many flowers. Each flower has five narrow yellow petals and five staminodes which look very similar to, and may be mistaken for, more petals. At the center of the flower are many whiskery stamens. The fruit is cup-shaped utricle up to a centimeter long and wide. It contains many tiny winged, lens-shaped seeds which are bumpy under magnification.

External links

Wikidata ☰ Q6817645 entry