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Polished blazingstar

Mentzelia polita

Polished blazingstar
Photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0

Polished blazingstar is a small desert perennial from the Loasaceae family, native to the southwestern US, with a peeling white stem arising from a woody caudex and pale yellow to nearly white flowers. It needs full sun, excellent drainage, and very little water, as it is adapted to arid mountains and washes.

Family
Loasaceae (Loas family)
Grows as
Shrub
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly and let the soil dry out completely between waterings; avoid wet roots.
Soil
Fast-draining gritty or sandy mix, such as cactus mix with added grit or pumice.
Temperature
Tolerates hot desert conditions; protect from frost, as it is a desert species.
How easy
Moderate
Native range
SE. California to S. Nevada
Climate
desert or dry shrubland

About

Mentzelia polita is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae known by the common name polished blazingstar. It is native to the southwestern United States, where it grows in desert mountains, washes, and other dry habitat.

Other Mentzelia plants

Yellowcomet · Whitestem blazingstar · Tropical blazingstar · Candelaria blazingstar · Gold blazingstar · Sunset Crater blazingstar · United blazingstar · Sierra blazingstar · Tenpetal blazingstar · Royal Gorge blazingstar · Bushy blazingstar · Pinyon blazingstar

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Mentzelia polita by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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