Blazing star facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blazing star |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Mentzelia
|
| Species: |
gracilenta
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Mentzelia ravenii |
|
Mentzelia gracilenta, often called the blazing star or slender blazing star, is a beautiful flowering plant. It belongs to the plant family Loasaceae. This plant is known for its bright yellow flowers.
Where It Grows
The blazing star plant is found only in California. This means it is endemic to California. You can find it in the southern California Coast Ranges and the western Transverse Ranges. A large part of where it grows is inside the Los Padres National Forest.
This plant likes to grow in different kinds of places. It can be found in open grasslands and in oak forests. It also grows in tough mountain areas. Sometimes, it even grows in special soils called serpentine soils or on rocky slopes. You can find it from about 20 meters (65 feet) up to 1,700 meters (5,577 feet) high in the mountains.
What It Looks Like
The Mentzelia gracilenta is an annual herb. This means it grows from a seed, flowers, produces seeds, and then dies all within one year. It has a straight, green stem that can grow taller than 0.5 meters (about 1.6 feet).
Its leaves are very interesting. They are deeply cut, almost like a comb. The longest leaves are at the bottom of the plant, forming a circle called a basal rosette. These can be up to 13 centimeters (about 5 inches) long. The leaves higher up on the stem are smaller.
The flowers grow in a group called an inflorescence. Each flower has five shiny yellow petals. These petals have small red dots at their bases. Each flower petal is about one to two centimeters (0.4 to 0.8 inches) long. After the flower blooms, it forms a narrow, curved fruit. This fruit is called a utricle and holds many tiny, angular seeds.
