Scientific Family
Loasaceae
Synonyms
Bicuspidaria involucrata, Nuttallia involucrata
Other common names
white-bract blazingstar
sand blazing star
silver blazing star
white bract stickleaf
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
To 14 inches
Riparian
No
Stems pale pink or white, branched or not, herbage with minutely barbed hairs; flowers conspicuous and showy, white to pale yellow with orange veins.
Stems pale pink or white, branched or not, herbage with minutely barbed hairs; thick lance-like leaves with irregularly toothed margins; flowers white to pale yellow with semi-transparent petals, with conspicuous orange veins, especially near the throat.
Habitat
Dry, sandy soils, in washes, alluvial fans, steep slopes, and creosote-bush scrub communities.
Plant Community
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
0
High elevation
3000
Flower Characteristics
Solitary or loose clustered, conspicuous, showy, white to pale yellow, orange veins, petals rounded, tips pointed; sepals lance-like to triangular, stamen filaments broadened towards tips, 2-lobed; ovaries cylindric, styles thread-like, stigmas 3-lobed.
Flower color
White to pale yellow
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
January
Last bloom month
May
Flower clusters
Rounded
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Lance-like to rounded, to 6 inches long, with irregularly toothed margins, basal leaves stemmed, usually in rosettes, stem leaves not stemmed, becoming smaller up the stem; upper leaves clasping.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green to gray-green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Toothed
Leaves clasp
Yes
Leaf hairs
Stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Erect, cylindric.
Fruit type
Capsule
Seeds 1 to many, compressed, middle transverse-ridge, prominent, pointed terminal projection, ashy-white.