| Mentzelia gracilenta | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Cornales |
| Family: | Loasaceae |
| Genus: | Mentzelia |
| Species: | M. gracilenta |
| Binomial name | |
| Mentzelia gracilenta Torr. & A.Gray |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Mentzelia ravenii |
|
Mentzelia gracilenta is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae known by the common name grass blazingstar. It is endemic to California, where it is known only from the southern Coast Ranges and adjacent Transverse Ranges of the Los Angeles area. It grows in rugged mountain habitat including woodlands and rocky slopes.
This is an annual herb producing an erect greenish stem sometimes exceeding half a meter in maximum height. The leaves are divided deeply into comblike lobes, the longest in the basal rosette 13 centimeters long and those higher on the stem reduced in size.
The inflorescence is a cluster of flowers each with five shiny yellow petals dotted with red at the bases, measuring roughly one to two centimeters long. The fruit is a narrow, curving utricle containing many tiny, angular seeds.