Whitestem Blazingstar
Mentzelia albicaulis
- Native to:
- Canada, Mexico, United States
Matt Lavin (www.flickr.com) from Bozeman, Montana, USA
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Loasaceae
- Genus:
- Mentzelia
- Species:
- Mentzelia albicaulis
- USDA Symbol:
- MEAL6
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Growth Habit:
- Forb/herb
- Height:
- 40 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- High
- Bloom Months:
- mar,apr,may,jun,jul
- Bloom Colors:
- yellow
Wildlife Benefits
- Bees:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented bee visitation (GBIF)
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- bees, small mammals
- Deer Resistant:
- Yes
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Colonizes disturbed sites post-fire. Annual life cycle allows rapid reestablishment from seed bank.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- sandy, well-drained, nutrient-poor soil
- pH:
- 6.0 - 8.0 (neutral to slightly alkaline)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- dry to moderate
- Notes:
- thrives in arid and semi-arid regions
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- None required
- Germination Time:
- 7–21 days
- Notes:
- Seeds germinate readily with light and warm temperatures. Annual species with opportunistic germination following moisture.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI
Pre-treatment: Seeds were plated on 1.5% agar in petri dishes and incubated in growth chambers using six temperature treatments intended to represent different seed sowing times and locations.
Establishment: Additional research is needed to confirm the specific length of winter conditions needed to break dormancy and allow germination, and to determine how representative these results are of the entire species.
Source: npn.rngr.net