Mentzelia
Family: Loasaceae
Mentzelia image
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JANAS 30(2)
PLANTS: Annuals or perennials, ours herbaceous to suffrutescent; hairs often barbed, not stinging. LEAVES: sessile (including those with blades narrowing gradually to the base) or distinctly petiolate; blades linear, lanceolate to elliptic, ovate or oblanceolate; margins dentate to pinnately lobed, sometimes crenate or entire. PLANTS: Annuals or perennials, ours herbaceous to suffrutescent; hairs often barbed, not stinging. INFLORESCENCE: cymose. FLOWERS: subtended by O-several, leaf-like to linear bracts; calyx mostly persistent, the lobes lanceolate to subulate; petals distinct or basally coherent and adherent to filaments, deciduous, white to yellow or orange; stamens 10-ca. 300, shorter than the petals, free or basally coherent, those of outer whorls often with broad filaments and often forming petaloid staminodia; pistil (in ours) 3-carpellate, exceptionally more; stigmas 3 appressed lobes but appearing as 3 grooves, sometimes separating in age. CAPSULES: apically dehiscent by 3 valves. SEEDS: 10-many, rarely fewer, 1-4 mm long, parietal; testa diversely sculptured, smooth, reticulate or striate at low magnification; endosperm present. X = 14. NOTES: At least 100 spp.; New World. (for C. Mentzel). The sections are sufficiently distinctive that several have occasionally been treated as separate genera. Fruit measurements (and the term -body-) refer to the seed-containing portion, exclusive of the calyx lobes when these persist. Specimens that are depauperate or that lack mature fruits and seeds may be impossible to identify. REFERENCES: Christy, Charlotte M. 1998. Loasaceae. J. Ariz. - Nev. Acad. Sci. 30(2): 96.
Vascular plants of NE US and adjacent Canada
Hypanthium ovoid to cylindric or obconic; sep 5; pet 5-10; stamens 10-200, distinct or connate into fascicles; ovules 2-many on 3 parietal placentas; style 3-lobed; fr a capsule; annual or perennial herbs or shrubs, armed with stiff, barbed hairs, with alternate, serrate to pinnatifid lvs and 1-many often large, white to yellow or orange fls terminating the branches. (Nuttallia) 50, New World.

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

©The New York Botanical Garden. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Species within inventory project: Intermountain Regional Herbarium Network
Mentzelia affinis
Image of Mentzelia affinis
Mentzelia albicaulis
Image of Mentzelia albicaulis
Mentzelia argillicola
Image of Mentzelia argillicola
Mentzelia argillosa
Image of Mentzelia argillosa
Mentzelia aspera
Image of Mentzelia aspera
Mentzelia candelariae
Image of Mentzelia candelariae
Mentzelia congesta
Image of Mentzelia congesta
Mentzelia cronquistii
Image of Mentzelia cronquistii
Mentzelia decapetala
Image of Mentzelia decapetala
Mentzelia dispersa
Image of Mentzelia dispersa
Mentzelia goodrichii
Image of Mentzelia goodrichii
Mentzelia hualapaiensis
Image of Mentzelia hualapaiensis
Mentzelia integra
Image of Mentzelia integra
Mentzelia involucrata
Image of Mentzelia involucrata
Mentzelia inyoensis
Image of Mentzelia inyoensis
Mentzelia jonesii
Image of Mentzelia jonesii
Mentzelia laevicaulis
Image of Mentzelia laevicaulis
Mentzelia marginata
Image of Mentzelia marginata
Mentzelia memorabalis
Image of Mentzelia memorabalis
Mentzelia mollis
Image of Mentzelia mollis
Mentzelia multicaulis
Image of Mentzelia multicaulis
Mentzelia multiflora
Image of Mentzelia multiflora
Mentzelia nitens
Image of Mentzelia nitens
Mentzelia nuda
Image of Mentzelia nuda
Mentzelia oreophila
Image of Mentzelia oreophila
Mentzelia packardiae
Image of Mentzelia packardiae
Mentzelia polita
Image of Mentzelia polita
Mentzelia pterosperma
Image of Mentzelia pterosperma
Mentzelia pumila
Image of Mentzelia pumila
Mentzelia reflexa
Image of Mentzelia reflexa
Mentzelia rusbyi
Image of Mentzelia rusbyi
Mentzelia shultziorum
Image of Mentzelia shultziorum
Mentzelia tiehmii
Image of Mentzelia tiehmii
Mentzelia torreyi
Image of Mentzelia torreyi
Mentzelia tricuspis
Image of Mentzelia tricuspis
Mentzelia veatchiana
Image of Mentzelia veatchiana