Vascular Plants - Loasaceae - Mentzelia:
Mentzelia dispersa
Page Author: David Giblin
bushy blazing-star 
Blooms: May-July
Habit: herb
Duration: annual
Origin: Native
Conservation Status: Abundant; of no concern.

Distribution: East of the Cascades in Washington; Washington south to southern California, east to Montana and Colorado.
Habitat: Dry soil, from the plains into the canyons and slopes of the lower mountains.
Species Description:

General: Finely pubescent annual, the stems 1-4 dm. tall, simple or freely-branched, single or several.
Leaves: Leaves mostly alternate, scabrous and brittle, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, entire to wavy margined to deeply lobed; lower leaves short-petiolate, upper leaves sessile, bracteate leaves opposite.
Flowers: Flowers irregularly cymose in compact clusters; calyx lobes 5, 2 mm. long; petals 5, distinct, yellow, 3-6 mm. long; stamens 15-35, shorter than the petals; style 1, ovary inferior.
Fruits: Capsule linear, 1-3 cm. long, 1.5-2 mm. thick.
Accepted Name:
Mentzelia dispersa S. Wats.
Synonyms:
Mentzelia dispersa S. Wats. var. compacta (A. Nels.) J.F. Macbr.
Mentzelia dispersa S. Wats. var. dispersa
Mentzelia dispersa S. Wats. var. latifolia (Rydb.) J.F. Macbr.

Treated in Flora of the PNW as:
Mentzelia dispersa
Additional Resources:

PNW Herbaria Specimens: View list of Mentzelia dispersa specimens in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.

WTU Herbarium Specimens: View list of Mentzelia dispersa specimens in the WTU Herbarium database.

Washington Flora Checklist: Mentzelia dispersa treatment.

E-Flora BC: Mentzelia dispersa atlas page.

CalPhotos: Mentzelia dispersa images.

USDA Plants Database: Mentzelia dispersa.
Additional photographs of Mentzelia dispersa:
(click on a thumbnail to view larger photo)

Ben Legler, 2005

Ben Legler, 2005

Ben Legler, 2005

Ben Legler, 2005

Ben Legler, 2005

Ben Legler, 2005

Ben Legler, 2005

Ben Legler, 2004

Ben Legler, 2004

Ben Legler, 2004

Ben Legler, 2004

G. D. Carr, 2010

G. D. Carr, 2010

G. D. Carr, 2010

G. D. Carr, 2010

G. D. Carr, 2010

G. D. Carr, 2010

G. D. Carr, 2010

G. D. Carr, 2010

G. D. Carr, 2010

G. D. Carr, 2010

G. D. Carr, 2010

G. D. Carr, 2010

G. D. Carr, 2010
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Washington Native Plant Society
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