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Plant Profile

Ash Meadows Blazingstar (Mentzelia leucophylla)

Mentzelia leucophylla budding Photo Credit: Wikimedia

Global Rank: G1 - Critically Imperiled
Legal Status: Federally Threatened
Family: Loasaceae
State: NV
Nature Serve ID: 134251
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection: 02/10/1987

Description:

Mentzelia leucophylla is an endemic species found on alkaline soil in arroyos, canyons washes, and near spring areas at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. A biennial herb, which grows on highly alkaline soils in ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge. This genus has white stems, leaves densley covered with stiff hairs and bright yellow flowers. Flowers will only open for brief periods in the late afternoon. Bloomtime is in late May through September, and it grows up to 50 cm high.

Where is Ash Meadows Blazingstar (Mentzelia leucophylla) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Occupies alkaline soils in dry washes and on barren bluffs, it is associated with dry soils and apparently is uninfluenced by seepage from springs or seeps. Found in light-colored, fine-grained soils with a high salt content, often growing with 2 other narrowly endemic plants, the Ash Meadows milk-vetch (Astragalus phoenix) and the Ash Meadows sunray (Enceliopsis nudicaulis var. corrugata).

Distribution:

Nye County Nevada in the Upper Amargosa Wash. Occupies 13.5 acres.

States & Provinces:

Ash Meadows Blazingstar can be found in Nevada

Which CPC Partners conserve Ash Meadows Blazingstar (Mentzelia leucophylla)?

Red Butte Garden and Arboretum

Not Sponsored

Assigned 06/09/17

California Botanic Garden

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 02/28/23

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

Katie Heineman

02/28/2023

California Botanic Garden made a conservation seed collection on BLM land in Nevada

09/19/2020

Reproductive study revealed self compatability with lower seed production than cross-fertilization

09/01/2020

Based on an September 2020 extract of the California Plant Rescue Database, California Botanic Garden holds 1 accessions of Mentzelia oreophila in orthodox seed collection. There are as many as 857 seeds of this species in their collection - although some may have been used for curation testing or sent to back up.

08/05/2020

Based on an August 2020 extract of the California Plant Rescue Database, California Botanic Garden has collected 1 seed accessions of Mentzelia oreophila from 1 plant occurrences listed in the California Natural Diversity Database. These collections together emcompass an unknown number of maternal plants

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

Narrowly confined to a spring-fed desert wetland area with extremely saline soils. Only 8 sites are known, all in Nye County, Nevada. This species and its habitat are extremely threatened by development. Agricultural development and the associated large-scale exploitation of the region's water resources have already destroyed large portions of the local native flora.

Rita Dodge

01/01/2010

agriculture trampling by wild horses and livestock off-vehicle disturbance invaisve species ground water pumping

Rita Dodge

01/01/2010

Small populations (12 element occurrences) in Ash Meadow, NV occupying 13.5 acres

Rita Dodge

01/01/2010

Reproductive study revealed self compatability with lower seed production than cross-fertilization. Pollinator observations.

Rita Dodge

01/01/2010

Part of the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.

Rita Dodge

01/01/2010

Ex-situ conservation

Rita Dodge

01/01/2010

Currently is not represented in an ex-situ seed collection. THis is a high priority for the USFWS.