California blazing star (Mentzelia nitens)
Description
It is an annual herb producing an erect, whitish-green, sometimes slightly hairy stem up to about 34 centimeters in maximum height. The lobed leaves are up to 15 centimeters long in the basal rosette, and those higher on the stem are reduced in size and sometimes unlobed. The inflorescence is a cluster of a few bright yellow flowers with petals up to 1.5 centimeters long and sometimes marked with red near the bases. The fruit is a narrow, curving utricle up to 2.6 centimeters in length which contains many minute seeds which are bumpy under magnification.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Cornales
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Family: Loasaceae
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Genus: Mentzelia
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