Common names:
Spiny-hair blazing star, threetooth blazing-star
Family:
Scientific name:
Mentzelia tricuspis
Main flower color:
Range:
Southeast California, south Nevada, northwest Arizona and far southwest Utah
Height:
Up to 10 inches
Habitat:
Desert slopes, flats and washes, on sand or gravel soils; up to 4,000 feet
Leaves:
Up to 5 inches long, ovate to lanceolate, with wavy or lobed edges and a sparse hair covering
Season:
March to May
Flowers of mentzelia tricuspis are white to pale creamy yellow; five broad, obovate, faintly veined petals, a little over one inch long, clawed at the base and rising to a small point at the tip. The stamens, especially the outer ones, have flattened, pale yellow filaments, red/orange near the tip, which divides into two white lobes; the anther is attached in between, and is usually a little shorter than the lobes. The five sepals are yellowish-green, lanceolate, about half as long as the petals.
Sepals, leaves (primarily the undersurfaces) and stems have a covering of sharp hairs. Stems are often reddish-brown, the leaves dull green, and they have large lobes or teeth along the margins, especially for leaves near the base. Leaves are attached by short stalks.
Sepals, leaves (primarily the undersurfaces) and stems have a covering of sharp hairs. Stems are often reddish-brown, the leaves dull green, and they have large lobes or teeth along the margins, especially for leaves near the base. Leaves are attached by short stalks.
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