San Joaquin blazingstar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids San Joaquin blazingstar |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Mentzelia
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| Species: |
pectinata
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The Mentzelia pectinata, also known as the San Joaquin blazingstar, is a beautiful flowering plant. It belongs to the Loasaceae family, which is a group of plants often found in warm, dry places. This plant is special because it's only found in one specific part of the world!
Meet the San Joaquin Blazingstar
The San Joaquin blazingstar gets its name from the San Joaquin Valley in California, where it grows. It's called a "blazingstar" because its bright, star-shaped flowers look like little flames. This plant is an annual herb, which means it grows from a seed, flowers, produces new seeds, and then dies all within one year.
Where It Grows
This amazing plant is found only in California. When we say it's "endemic" to California, it means it naturally grows nowhere else in the world! You can spot it in the hills and mountains around the San Joaquin Valley. This includes places like the Temblor Range, the Tehachapi Mountains, and the southern part of the Sierra Nevada. It likes to grow in sunny spots like grassy slopes and woodlands.
What It Looks Like
The San Joaquin blazingstar has a straight, green stem that can grow up to about half a meter tall. That's about the height of a small dog! Its leaves are quite interesting. The ones at the bottom of the plant, called the "basal rosette," can be up to 12 centimeters long. These leaves are divided into cool, comb-like shapes. The leaves higher up on the stem are smaller.
Its Flowers and Seeds
The flowers of the San Joaquin blazingstar grow in clusters. They are usually bright orange or yellow and can be up to 2 centimeters long. Sometimes, you might see red marks near the bottom of the petals, adding to their fiery look. In the center of each flower, there are many fuzzy, whiskery parts called stamens. These are important for making seeds.
After the flowers bloom, the plant produces a long, thin fruit called a utricle. It can be up to 3.5 centimeters long. Inside this fruit are many tiny, angled seeds, ready to start the next generation of blazingstars!
