E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Mentzelia dispersa S. Watson
bushy mentzelia (bushy blazingstar)
Loasaceae (Loasa family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Peter Courtney  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #73019)

E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Mentzelia dispersa
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Species Information

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General:
Annual herb from a taproot; stems ascending to erect, several, simple or branched, white-shiny, usually somewhat barbed throughout, sometimes becoming glabrous, 10-40 cm tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves linear to shallowly lobed, 2-11 cm long; stem leaves alternate, often pinnatifid, linear to lanceolate, 2-11 cm long, lobed or unlobed, unstalked and entire to few-toothed above.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of few, unstalked flowers in a tight, terminal cluster; petals 5, yellow, 3-6 mm long; calyces 1-2 cm long, hairy, the lobes 2-4 mm long; stamens shorter than the petals; bracts egg-shaped.
Fruits:
Capsules, linear, 1-3 cm long; seeds 15-30, obscurely rough-pimply, appearing glabrous under 10x magnification, not flattened.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Dry slopes in the steppe zone; infrequent in SC BC; S to CO and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Mentzelia dispersa

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 510 707 905
Slope Gradient (%) 36 44 53
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
140 149 160
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
1 1 2
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
B
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
2
Modal BEC Zone Class
BG
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BG(1), IDF(1)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References