Grassland blazingstar Grassland blazingstar

Nuttallia strictissima Wooton & Standley, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 16: 150. 1913

Plants biennial, candelabra-form. Stems solitary (or multiple as wound response), erect, straight; branches distal, distal longest, antrorse, straight; hairy. Leaves: blade 28–70 × 5.8–17.2 mm, widest intersinus distance 3.4–11.4 mm; proximal oblanceolate, lanceolate, or elliptic, margins dentate to pinnate, teeth or lobes 10–20, perpendicular to leaf axis, 0.9–3.1 mm; distal lanceolate, base usually not clasping, rarely clasping, margins usually dentate, occasionally serrate, teeth 8–18, usually perpendicular to leaf axis, occasionally slightly antrorse, 0.6–5.4 mm; abaxial surface with simple grappling-hook, complex grappling-hook, and needlelike trichomes, adaxial surface with simple grappling-hook and needlelike trichomes. Bracts: margins entire or toothed. Flowers: petals white, 14.7–22(–24.4) × 1.9–4.4 mm, apex acute, glabrous abaxially; stamens white, 5 outermost petaloid, filaments narrowly spatulate, slightly clawed, 13.3–23.1 × 1.3–3.1(–4.4) mm, without anthers, second whorl without anthers; anthers straight after dehiscence, epidermis smooth; styles 7.6–12.9 mm. Capsules cup-shaped to cylindric, 10.2–20.1 × 6.7–9.6 mm, base rounded to occasionally tapering, not longitudinally ridged. Seeds: coat anticlinal cell walls wavy, papillae 3–8 per cell. 2n = 20.

Flowering May–Oct. Arid grasslands; 800–1800 m; N.Mex., Tex.

See discussion under 5. Mentzelia nuda.