Lomatium nudicaule is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name barestem biscuitroot. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Utah, where it is known from several habitat types, including forest and woodland. It is a perennial herb growing up to about 70 centimeters tall from a thick taproot. It generally lacks a stem, the flower cluster and leaves emerging from ground level. The leaves are made up of many dull green, waxy lance-shaped leaflets each up to 9 centimeters long. The flower cluster is borne on a stout peduncle widening at the top where it blooms in an umbel of yellow or purplish flowers. This plant was a source of food for many Native American groups, and its parts were used medicinally.

Lomatium triternatum is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name nineleaf biscuitroot. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to Colorado, where it grows in many types of habitat. It is a hairy perennial herb growing up to a meter tall from a taproot. The leaves emerge from the lower part of the stem. Each is generally divided into three leaflets which are each subdivided into three linear leaflike segments. The flower cluster is an umbel of yellow flowers, each cluster on a ray up to 10 centimeters long.

Lomatium utriculatum is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common name common lomatium. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California, where it grows in many types of habitat. It is a hairless to lightly hairy perennial herb growing up to half a meter tall from a slender taproot. The leaves are basal and also grow from the middle and upper sections of the stem. Each is generally divided and subdivided into many small linear lobes. Leaves higher on the stem have prominent sheaths. The flower cluster is a webbed umbel of yellow flowers with rays up to 12 centimeters long. This plant was used as a food and medicinal remedy by many Native American groups.

Lupinus albifrons var. collinus is one of four varieties of Silver Bush Lupine. Var. collinus grows in northern and central California in the Coast Ranges, Klamath Mountains, and foothills of the northern Sierras. It tends to grow in open and sand or rocks, at elevations from 0-6600 feet.

Lupinus argenteus is a species of lupine known by the common name silvery lupine. It is native to much of western North America from the southwestern Canadian provinces to the southwestern and midwestern United States, where it grows in several types of habitat, including sagebrush, grassland, and forests. This is a perennial herb growing erect to heights anywhere between 10 centimeters and 1.5 meters. It is sometimes silvery-hairy in texture and sometimes nearly hairless. Each palmate leaf is made up of 5 to 9 leaflets each up to 6 centimeters long. They are narrow and linear in shape, under a centimeter wide. The flower cluster bears many flowers, sometimes arranged in whorls. The flower is 5 to 14 millimeters long and purple, blue, or whitish in color. The banner, or upper petal, of the flower may have a patch of white or yellow. The fruit is a hairy legume pod up to 3 centimeters long containing several beanlike seeds.

Silvery Lupine (Lupinus argenteus var. heteranthus) is a native perennial herb that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow at elevations from 4000-9600 feet.

Miniature Lupine (Lupinus bicolor) is a petite annual wildflower, just 3 inches tall, showcasing clusters of blue and white spring blooms that may vary geographically to magenta or purple.

This adaptable lupine thrives in full sun along the coast and part sun inland, preferring well-drained soil but tolerating various types. Often paired with California poppies, it is typically grown from seed, planted ¼ inch deep in the fall.

Miniature lupine attracts numerous insects and serves as a host plant for the Arrowhead Blue butterfly, making it a charming and ecologically valuable addition to native gardens.

Lupinus brevicaulis is a species of lupine known by the common names shortstem lupine and sand lupine. It is native to the southwestern United States and Great Basin area and into northern Mexico, where it grows in many types of sandy habitat. This is a hairy annual herb growing nearly flat in a spread on the ground with a stem just a few centimeters long. An array of leaves encircles the base. Each palmate leaf is made up of 6 to 8 leaflets about a centimeter long and a few millimeters in width. The inflorescence is a petite spiral of flowers a few centimeters long just arising past the basal disc of leaves. Each flower is 6 to 8 millimeters long and bright blue in color, generally with a white or yellowish spot on its banner. The fruit is a hairy legume pod about a centimeter long containing 1 or 2 beanlike seeds.

Lupinus concinnus is a species of lupine known by the common name Bajada lupine. It is native to the southwestern United States from California to Texas, and northern Mexico, where it is known from many types of habitat. This is a hairy erect or decumbent annual herb with a stem growing 10 to 30 centimeters long. Each small palmate leaf is made up of 5 to 9 leaflets up to 3 centimeters long and under a centimeter wide, sometimes narrow and linear in shape. The flower cluster is a dense spiral of flowers, with some flowers also appearing in leaf axils lower on the plant. Each flower is 5 to 12 millimeters long and purple, pink, or nearly white in color. The fruit is a hairy legume pod around a centimeter long.

Lupinus excubitus is a species of lupine known as the grape soda lupine. Its common name refers to its sweet scent, which is said to be very reminiscent of grape soda. This species and its variants are found in the southwestern United States, especially in California, and in far northern Mexico. The plant is a small shrub with gray-green foliage. The fan-shaped leaves are each made up of 7 to 10 narrow leaflets. The raceme flower cluster is a tall stalk of rich purple flowers, each with a bright yellow spot. The occasional variant has white flowers. The fruit is a silky legume pod up to 5 centimeters in length containing mottled brown seeds.

Lupinus flavoculatus is a species of lupine known by the common name yelloweyes, or yellow-eyed lupine. It is native to the southwestern United States, where it grows in the scrub and woodland of desert and plateau. This is a small, hairy annual herb growing up to about 20 centimetres (7. 9 in) tall. Each palmate leaf is made up of 7 to 9 leaflets 1 or 2 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a small, dense spiral of flowers each roughly a centimeter long. The flower is bright to deep blue with a yellowish spot on its banner. The fruit is a somewhat oval-shaped hairy legume pod no more than a centimeter long. It contains one or two wrinkled seeds. In California the species is found at Zion and Death Valley National Parks. In California the species is found at Zion and Death Valley National Parks.

Lupinus leucophyllus is a species of lupine known by the common name velvet lupine. It is native to western North America, where it grows in many types of mountain, prairie, and plateau habitat. It is a robust, branching, erect perennial herb growing up to 90 centimeters tall. Each palmate leaf is divided into 7 to 11 leaflets up to 7 centimeters long. The herbage is coated in white woolly fibers and stiff hairs. The flower cluster is dense raceme of many flowers, each around a centimeter long. The flower is purple in color, fading brown, the patch on the banner petal yellow or brownish. The pointed sepals and the back of the banner are hairy to woolly in texture. This is one of several poisonous lupines that are dangerous to grazing livestock. The plant contains toxic alkaloids including lupinine and the teratogenic anagyrine.

Lupinus magnificus, commonly known as Panamint Mountain lupine, is a species of flowering plant from the order of Lamiales which is endemic to California where it can be found in the Death Valley.

Dense Flowered Platycarpos (Lupinus microcarpus var. densiflorus) is an abundant native annual herb that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow in open or disturbed or recently burned places, at elevations from 0-5200 feet. This variety (densiflorus) is one of three recognized varieties that have somewhat overlapping ranges. Densiflorus generally has pale yellow flowers, but they may also be tinged with pink or purple.

Valley Lupine (Lupinus microcarpus var. microcarpus) is a abundant native annual herb that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow in open or disturbed or recently burned places, at elevations from 0-5000 feet.

Lupinus odoratus is a species in the Fabaceae (Legume) family known by the common names Royal Lupine or Mojave Lupine. It is native to the Mojave Desert and adjacent western Great Basin in the United States, where it grows in sandy or gravelly soils in open habitat. It is an annual herb growing 10 to 30 centimeters tall. Each palmate leaf is made up of 7 to 9 green leaflets up to 2 centimeters long. The herbage is generally hairless except for new growth. The flower cluster is an upright spiral of many flowers each up to a centimeter long. The flowers are royal purple-blue in color with a white spot on their banners, and have a scent similar to that of violets. The fruit is a thin legume pod up to 2 centimeters in length.

Mojave Lupine (Lupinus odoratus var. odoratus) is a native annual herb that grows in southern and central California. It tends to grow at elevations from 0-5200 feet.

Lupinus pusillus (rusty lupine or dwarf lupine) is an annual plant in the legume family (fabaceae) found in the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region of the southwestern United States. :159Growth pattern. It is an annual plant growing up to 9 inches (23 cm) tall. "Pusillus is for the small size of the plant. :159Leaves and stems. Leaves are compound palmate with 3-9 1-2 to 1 1-2 inches (1. 3 to 3. 8 cm) long inversely lance- shaped leaflets. :159Plant stems and leaf stems (petioles) have long spreading hairs. :159Inflorescence and fruit. It blooms from April to June. :159Flowers are in stalks of 4-38 and bluish to purple or bicolored, with a yellow spot on the upper petal. :159Seedpods are nearly oval and have constrictions separating the seeds. :159Habitat and range. It can be found in desert shrubl and pinyon juniper woodland communities, from as far north as Washington, to California, and throughout the southwest. :159When growing in reddish sand, the blue flowers make a striking contrast with the sun at a low angle. :159Ecological and human interactions. It is pollinated by bees. :159

Lupinus shockleyi is a species of lupine known by the common name purple desert lupine. It is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, where it grows in open desert habitat. It is an annual herb growing up to 30 centimeters tall. Each palmate leaf is made up of 8 to 10 leaflets measuring 1 to 3 centimeters in length. The inflorescence is a small spiral of flowers. Each flower is about half a centimeter long and deep purple-blue in color with a yellowish patch on its banner. The fruit is an oval legume pod coated in thick, inflated hairs.

Lupinus sparsiflorus, Coulter's lupine, is a species in the Fabaceae (Legume) family native to North America. In the United States it occurs in California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah, and in Mexico it is found in Baja California and Sonora. In California it is found from the coast to the dry inland mountains of the southern part of the state. Other common names include Mojave lupine, a name it shares with Lupinus odoratus. This is an annual herb growing 20 to 40 centimeters tall. Each palmate leaf is made up of 7 to 11 very narrow leaflets up to 3 centimeters long and just a few millimeters wide. The flower cluster is a fuzzy spiral of several flowers each around a centimeter long. The flower is blue or purple, becoming darker with age, with a white to pink patch on its banner. There is one reocognized subspecies, ssp. mohavensis, which is found only in the desert or semi-desert areas of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.

Coulter's Lupine (Lupinus sparsiflorus ssp. inopinatus) is a native annual herb that grows in southern California. It tends to grow at elevations from 0-4300 feet.

Coulter's Lupine (Lupinus sparsiflorus ssp. sparsiflorus) is a native annual herb that grows in southern and central California. It tends to grow at elevations from 0-4300 feet.

Lycium andersonii is a species of flowering shrub in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Its common names include water-jacket, redberry desert-thorn, Anderson thornbush, Anderson's desert thorn, Anderson boxthorn, Anderson lycium, Anderson wolfberry, and squawberry.

It is native to the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, where it is distributed in New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Baja California, Sinaloa, and Sonora. It grows in many habitat types and plant communities, including pinyon-juniper woodland, creosote bush scrub, sagebrush scrub, chaparral, and coastal sage scrub.

It grows up to about 2.7 metres (8 ft 10 in) in maximum height, with a large fibrous root system that can extend over 9 metres (30 ft) from the base of the plant. The shrub is rounded in shape with many branches covered in many thin spines up to 2 centimetres (0.79 in) long. The flat leaves are thick and fleshy, measuring up to 1.7 centimetres (0.67 in) long. They are shed from the plant in dry conditions. The flowers have funnel-shaped white or purple-tinged corollas up to a centimeter long. The fruit is a red or orange berry less than a centimeter long. One of the main traits of this shrub is a pattern of rotating spike-branches that grow along the main branching stems. The individual spikes get larger and end up as rotating intersecting branches. It's form is dense and thicket-like, often impenetrable even by birds. Berries are produced sometimes in great profusion, sometimes only in external branches, and sometimes not at all. The berries are typically very bitter.

Lycium andersonii typically grows in sandy, gravelly washes and on slopes and mesas. It tolerates some soil salinity and alkaline soils such as caliche. It thrives in hot, dry climates. It is rarely dominant in the local flora. Common associates include creosote bush (Larrea tridentata), yellow palo verde (Parkinsonia microphylla), white bursage, (Ambrosia dumosa), smoke tree (Psorothamnus spinosus), Nevada ephedra (Ephedra nevadensis), hop sage (Grayia spinosa), pale wolfberry (Lycium pallidum), blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima), singlewhorl burrobrush (Hymenoclea monogyra), and Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia).

Lycium brevipes is a species of flowering plant in the Solanaceae (Nightshade) family known by the common name Baja Desert-thorn. It is native to northwestern Mexico and it occurs in California as far as the Sonoran Desert as well as near the coast and on some of the Channel Islands. It grows in the scrub of desert and coastline. It is also used as a southwestern landscaping plant. This is a bushy, spreading shrub approaching a maximum height of 4 meters but usually less, with many long, thorny, tangled branches. The branches are lined with small, fleshy green leaves up to 1.5 centimeters long and coated with minute hairs. The small cluster consists of tubular flowers roughly 1 to 2 centimeters long including the calyx of sepals at the base. The lavender to nearly white corolla is tiny, funnel-shaped and has 2 to 6 lobes at the mouth. The five stamens and one style protrude from the flower. The fruit is a bright red spherical berry about a centimeter wide containing many seeds. The berries attract birds.

Lycium cooperi is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family known by the common name peach thorn. It is native to the southwestern United States, where it grows in a variety of desert and mountain habitat types. This is a bushy, erect shrub approaching a maximum height of 4 meters with many rigid, thorny branches. The branches are lined thickly with fleshy oval or widely lance-shaped leaves each 1 to 3 centimeters long and coated with hairy hairs. The flower cluster is a small cluster of tubular flowers roughly 1 to 2 centimeters long including the calyx of fleshy sepals at the base. The flower is white or greenish with lavender or green veining. The corolla is a tube opening into a face with four or five lobes. The fruit is a yellow or orange berry under a centimeter wide containing many seeds.

Lycium fremontii is a species of flowering plant in the nightshade family native to northwestern Mexico and the southernmost mountains and deserts of California and Arizona in the United States. It often grows in areas with alkaline soils, such as alkali flats, and is commonly known as Frmont's desert thorn. Both its common name, and its specific epithet are derived from John C. Frmont. L. fremontii is a bushy, spreading shrub approaching a maximum height of 4 meters with many thorny, leafy branches. The fleshy leaves are oval in shape and up to 2.5 centimeters long. Parts of the plant are coated in hairy hairs. The flower cluster is a small cluster of tubular flowers roughly 1 to 2 centimeters long including the cylindrical calyx of fleshy sepals at the base. The flower is light to deep purple with purple veining. The corolla is a narrow tube opening into usually five lobes. The fruit is a red berry 6 to 8 millimeters wide.

Pale Desert Thorn (Lycium pallidum) is a native shrub that grows in Southern and Central California, primarily in the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Desert regions. It is moderately fast growing and moderately long-lived. It grows in a rounded form to a height of 6 feet, with active growth during the summer. Flowers are purple and striking, and bloom in the early spring. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. It tends to grow in flats and slopes and washes, at elevations from 0-3900 feet.

Malacothrix californica is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name California desertdandelion. It is native to California and Baja California, where it can be found in many types of dry mountain, desert, and valley habitat. It is an annual herb producing a flowering stem up to about 45 centimeters in maximum height. The toothed linear to lance-shaped leaves are mostly located around the base of the plant. The inflorescence is an array of flower heads lined with hairy phyllaries. The head bears rings of ray florets 1 or 2 centimeters long, usually yellow in color, sometimes white.

Malacothrix coulteri is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name snake's head, or snake's head desertdandelion. It is native to the southwestern United States is also found in southern South America where it is an introduced species. Its native habitat includes desert, grassland, chaparral, and other open, sandy areas. It is an annual herb producing a waxy, upright flowering stem up to about 50 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves, which are mostly located near the base of the stem, are toothed or not. The flower cluster is an array of flower heads with nearly spherical involucres of scale-like phyllaries one to two centimeters wide. The leafs are green, often with dark striping or marking. The yellow or white ray florets are about a centimeter long.

Malacothrix glabrata is a species of dicotyledonous flowering plant known generally as the smooth desert dandelion or desert dandelion. The species is native to the western United States, excluding much of the Pacific Northwest, and into northern Mexico. M. glabrata is typically 5 to 15 inches tall with a 1.5 to 2.5 inch flower head. Its fragrant, daisy-like flowers are in shades of yellow or white, and undeveloped flowers have a red "button" in the center of the flower head.

Malacothrix sonchoides is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name sowthistle desertdandelion. It is native to much of the western United States, where it grows in sandy woodland and plateau habitat and along the edges of the deserts. It is an annual herb producing a hairless, waxy stem up to about 40 centimeters in maximum height. The fleshy leaves have wide toothed lobes along the edges. The flower cluster is an array of flower heads lined with sparsely hairy phyllaries. The ray florets are just over a centimeter long and generally bright yellow in color.

Malacothrix stebbinsii is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Stebbins' desertdandelion. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico where it grows in deserts, scrub, and woodlands. It is an annual herb producing a hairless stem up to about 60 centimeters in maximum height. The leaves are lined with narrow lobes. The inflorescence is an array of flower heads with ray florets under a centimeter long and white to light yellow in color.

Mammillaria dioica, also called Strawberry Cactus, California Fishhook cactus, Strawberry Pincusion or Fishhook Cactus, is a species of the genus Mammillaria found in California and northwestern Mexico, including Baja California and the state of Sonora. It is one of the smallest cacti in California and may appear as a single stem or as a clump of numerous stems. Very large specimens can be up to 6" high but usually less. In desert areas it is most often found growing in very rocky areas, sometimes growing out of crevices in granite boulders in the desert-edge canyons. In San Diego County it is also found on the immediate coast growing on sandstone bluffs as part of Maritime Succulent Scrub. The plant possesses short, firm tubercles ending in the spines. Most of these spines are whitish and straight, but each tubercle has a longer central spine which is slightly curved and dark, leading to the Fishhook name. The flowers are small but showy. A closely related species is Mammillaria tetrancistra which is very similar in general appearance but has pink flowers.

Mammillaria grahamii is a species of cactus also known by the name Graham's nipple cactus. In the United States, this plant can be found in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas. This cactus has hooked stems and flowers pink or lavender in April and May. The cactus is commonly found a dry habitat of gravel or grassland.

Mammillaria tetrancistra is a species of fishhook cactus known by the common name common fishhook cactus. It is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, where it grows in a variety of desert habitat types. This cactus generally has a single cylindrical stem a few centimeters wide and up to about 25 centimeters tall. Each cluster of spines is made up of 3 or 4 dark, hooked central spines and many straight, white radial spines, the longest reaching 2. 5 centimeters in length. The flower is 2 to 4 centimeters wide and pink to lavender in color. The fruit is red, shiny, and fleshy and contains many black seeds coated in corky arils. This cactus generally has a single cylindrical stem a few centimeters wide and up to about 25 centimeters tall. Each cluster of spines is made up of 3 or 4 dark, hooked central spines and many straight, white radial spines, the longest reaching 2. 5 centimeters in length. The flower is 2 to 4 centimeters wide and pink to lavender in color. The fruit is red, shiny, and fleshy and contains many black seeds coated in corky arils.

California Marina (Marina orcuttii var. orcuttii) is a rare native perennial herb that grows in Southern California, primarily in the Peninsular Range region. It tends to grow in rocky slopes, at elevations from 3400-3800 feet.

Marina parryi is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Parry's false prairie-clover. It is native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. This is a perennial herb producing stiff, branching stems 20 to 80 centimeters long. It is coated with glands and rough hairs. The leaves are made up of several pairs of small oval leaflets no more than 6 millimeters long. The flower cluster is a raceme of deep blue and white bicolored flowers each under a centimeter long. The fruit is a legume pod containing a single seed.

Roving Sailor (Maurandella antirrhiniflora) is a rare native perennial herb that grows in southern California. It is fast growing and moderately long-lived. It grows in a rounded form to a height of 0.8 feet, with active growth during the spring. Flowers are purple and striking, and bloom in the mid spring. Leaves are medium green and deciduous. It tends to grow at elevations from 0-8500 feet.

Grows best in sandy, coarse-grained or other fast draining soil. Selected for the garden.

Grows best in sandy, coarse-grained or other fast draining soil. Selected for the garden.

Melica frutescens, woody melicgrass, is a species of grass in the Poaceae family that can be found in such US states as Arizona and California and in Mexico. The species is perennial and have culms that are 75-200 centimetres (30-79 in) long and woody. The species' lateral branches are sparse with leaf-sheaths being scabrous, tubular and closed. It leaf-blades are 2-4 millimetres (0. 079-0. 157 in) wide. It panicle is contracted, linear, and is 12-35 centimetres (4. 7-13. 8 in) long with filiform pedicels that are located on fertile spikelet. The main branches are appressed and carry oblong and solitary spikelets that are 12-18 millimetres (0. 47-0. 71 in) long. They are comprised out of 3-6 fertile florets which are diminished at the apex. It sterile florets are barren, oblong, growing in a clump and are 4. 5-6. 5 millimetres (0. 18-0. 26 in) long. The species' fertile lemma is chartaceous, keelless, oblong and is 8-11 millimetres (0. 31-0. 43 in) long. Both lower and upper glumes are chartaceous, elliptic and keelless with acute apexes. Their size is different though; Lower glume is 7-12 millimetres (0. 28-0. 47 in) long while the upper one is 9-15 millimetres (0. 35-0. 59 in) long. Flowers are fleshy, oblong, truncate and grow together. They also have 3 anthers with fruits that are caryopses and have an additional pericarp. The species is perennial and have culms that are 75-200 centimetres (30-79 in) long and woody. The species' lateral branches are sparse with leaf-sheaths being scabrous, tubular and closed. It leaf-blades are 2-4 millimetres (0. 079-0. 157 in) wide. It panicle is contracted, linear, and is 12-35 centimetres (4. 7-13. 8 in) long with filiform pedicels that are located on fertile spikelet. The main branches are appressed and carry oblong and solitary spikelets that are 12-18 millimetres (0. 47-0. 71 in) long. They are comprised out of 3-6 fertile florets which are diminished at the apex. It sterile florets are barren, oblong, growing in a clump and are 4. 5-6. 5 millimetres (0. 18-0. 26 in) long. The species' fertile lemma is chartaceous, keelless, oblong and is 8-11 millimetres (0. 31-0. 43 in) long. Both lower and upper glumes are chartaceous, elliptic and keelless with acute apexes. Their size is different though; Lower glume is 7-12 millimetres (0. 28-0. 47 in) long while the upper one is 9-15 millimetres (0. 35-0. 59 in) long. Flowers are fleshy, oblong, truncate and grow together. They also have 3 anthers with fruits that are caryopses and have an additional pericarp.

Melica imperfecta is a species in the Poaceae (Grass) family known by the common names California Melic, Small Flower Melic and Little California Melic. It is native to the southwestern United States and Baja California, where it grows in chaparral, woodlands, and other dry areas. In California it is found primarily in the central and southern portions of the state, along the coast, in the coastal mountain ranges, and in the foothills of the Sierras. It is a perennial bunchgrass growing up to 1.2 meters in maximum height. The flower cluster is a narrow or spreading series of attractive spikelets which are green in color with areas of purple. With supplemental water it will remain evergreen; otherwise it is summer dormant. It greens up early with fall/winter rain.

Melica stricta is a species of grass known by the common name rock melic. It is native to California, Oregon, Nevada, and Utah in the western United States. It grows in mountain and plateau habitats, including areas with an alpine climate. It is native to California, Oregon, Nevada, and Utah in the western United States. It grows in mountain and plateau habitats, including areas with an alpine climate. It is a perennial bunchgrass which varies in maximum height from 10 to 90 centimeters. The inflorescence is a narrow panicle of V-shaped green and purple banded spikelets.

Menodora scabra is a species of flowering plant in the olive family known by the common name rough menodora. It is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, where it grows in varied mountain, plateau, and desert habitat. It is a small, multibranched subshrub producing several upright stems no more than 30 centimeters tall. It is coated in rough hairs and short, woolly fibers. The leaves are oblong or oval in shape, smooth along the edges, and alternately arranged on the branches. They are one or two centimeters long, the larger leaves located lower on the plant. The flower cluster is a loose cluster of yellow flowers at the tip of a stem branch. The flower corolla has 4 to 6 lobes with the stamens and stigma protruding from the short throat. The fruit is a capsule.

Desert Olive (Menodora scoparia) is a native perennial herb that grows in southern California. It tends to grow in rocky slopes, at elevations from 2000-6600 feet.

Menodora spinescens is a species of flowering plant in the olive family known by the common name spiny menodora. It is native to the southwestern United States, where it grows in varied mountain, canyon, and desert habitat in California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. Menodora spinescens is a shrub producing upright stems up to 90 centimeters tall, branching densely to form a thicket, the smallest branches tipped with spines. It is coated sparsely in short hairs. The fleshy green leaves are oblong or oval in shape, up to a centimeter long, and mostly borne in clusters. The inflorescence is a cluster of tube-throated flowers growing in axils, in splits between leaf clusters. The flowers are pink in bud and mostly white in bloom. The fruit is a capsule.

Mentzelia affinis is a species of flowering plants in the family Loasaceae known by the common name yellowcomet. It is native to the southern half of California, Arizona, and adjacent sections of Nevada and Baja California, where it is known from scrub, woodland, desert sands, and other habitat types. It is an annual herb growing erect to maximum heights anywhere between 5 centimeters and half a meter. The leaves are up to 17 centimeters long in the basal rosette, divided into lobes and sometimes toothed, and smaller farther up on the plant. It is an annual herb growing erect to maximum heights anywhere between 5 centimeters and half a meter. The leaves are up to 17 centimeters long in the basal rosette, divided into lobes and sometimes toothed, and smaller farther up on the plant. The flower has five shiny yellow petals, each with an orange spot at the base and often a toothed or notched tip. The fruit is a narrow, curving utricle 1 to 3 centimeters long. It contains many tiny prism-shaped seeds.

Mentzelia albicaulis is a species of flowering plants in the family Loasaceae known by the common name whitestem blazing star. It is native to much of western North America, where it grows in mountain, desert, and plateau habitat. It is an annual herb producing a stem up to 42 centimeters long, sometimes growing erect. The leaves are up to 11 centimeters long in the basal rosette, divided into even comblike lobes, and smaller farther up on the plant. The flower has five shiny yellow petals 2 to 7 millimeters long each. The fruit is a narrow, straight or curving utricle 1 to 3 centimeters long. It contains many angular seeds covered in tiny bumps.

Mentzelia congesta is a species of flowering plants in the family Loasaceae known by the common name united blazingstar. The plant is native to the western United States, from Idaho to California. It grows in forest, scrub, chaparral, and woodland habitats. It is found at 1,500-2,700 metres (4,900-8,900 ft) in elevation. It is an annual herb producing a tan-colored erect stem up to 40 centimeters tall. The leaves are up to 9 centimeters long and may be smooth-edged or lobed. The inflorescence is a dense cluster of flowers wrapped in wide, toothed bracts which are white in color with green tips. Each flower has five shiny yellow petals 3 to 9 millimeters long, each with an orange spot near the base. The fruit is a narrow, straight utricle up to 12 millimeters in length. It contains many minute angular seeds with concave sides covered in tiny bumps.

Mentzelia involucrata is a species of Mentzelia native to the Mojave and Sonoran deserts of North America. Its common names include sand blazing star and white-bract blazing star. Mentzelia involucrata is an annual plant growing to a height of 7-35 cm, with larger leaves forming a basal rosette, and smaller leaves along the stem. The leaves are between 2 and 18 cm long, with an irregularly toothed margin. The flowers are generally borne singly, and subtended by 4-5 bracts; they have five sepals 7-23 mm long and five cream-yellow petals 13-62 mm long. The fruit is 14-22 mm long and 5-10 mm wide, and contains rough ash-white seeds that are 2-3 mm long. The bracts of this species are distinctive in that they are almost entirely white, with a green border. Mentzelia involucrata is of interest because it is involved in a competition for pollinators that has resulted in mimicry. It produces nectar to attract bees of the genus Xeralictus. In areas where their range overlaps, Mohavea confertiflora (Ghost Flower), which does not produce nectar, has adapted a morphology resembling Mentzelia involucrata. Recent studies have suggested that in addition to mimicry of M. involucrata, Mohavea confertiflora flowers contain marks that resemble female Xeralictus, to attract male bees that would otherwise ignore the flowers. Ethnobotany. Mentzelia seeds have been identified as a staple food source for Native American tribes of the Great Basin. In an ethnobotanical study of the Kawaiisu people, Zigmond (1981) noted that Mentzelia (ku'u)was mentioned whenever his informants were asked to list important foods, and its gathering appeared frequently in mythology. The seeds were gathered in June after flowers lost their petals, and used immediately or stored. They were parched with hot coals, then ground on a metate; the resulting food had a peanut butter-like consistency. Zigmond also claimed that clay pots were filled with Mentzelia seeds before firing, but others have questioned whether this would be possible without destroying the pots through heat shock.

Mentzelia nitens is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae known by the common names shining blazingstar and Venus blazingstar. It is native to the Mojave Desert and adjacent desert and mountain areas of eastern California and southern Nevada. It is an annual herb producing an erect, whitish-green, sometimes slightly hairy stem up to about 34 centimeters in maximum height. The lobed leaves are up to 15 centimeters long in the basal rosette, and those higher on the stem are reduced in size and sometimes unlobed. It is an annual herb producing an erect, whitish-green, sometimes slightly hairy stem up to about 34 centimeters in maximum height. The lobed leaves are up to 15 centimeters long in the basal rosette, and those higher on the stem are reduced in size and sometimes unlobed. The inflorescence is a cluster of a few bright yellow flowers with petals up to 1. 5 centimeters long and sometimes marked with red near the bases. The fruit is a narrow, curving utricle up to 2. 6 centimeters in length which contains many minute seeds which are bumpy under magnification.

Mentzelia oreophila is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae known by the common name Argus blazingstar. It is native to the Southwestern United States and the Mojave Desert sky islands in California. It grows in rocky desert and scrub habitat. It is a perennial herb producing several tangling, sometimes multibranched stems up to 40 centimeters long which are whitish in color and peeling in texture. The leaves are wavy and sometimes toothed, the upper ones clasping the stem. It is a perennial herb producing several tangling, sometimes multibranched stems up to 40 centimeters long which are whitish in color and peeling in texture. The leaves are wavy and sometimes toothed, the upper ones clasping the stem. The inflorescence is an array of many flowers. Each flower has five narrow yellow petals and five staminodes which look very similar to, and may be mistaken for, more petals. At the center of the flower are many whiskery stamens. The fruit is cup-shaped utricle up to a centimeter long and wide. It contains many tiny winged, lens-shaped seeds which are bumpy under magnification.

Mentzelia pectinata is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae known by the common name San Joaquin blazingstar. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the hills and mountains on either side of the San Joaquin Valley, including the Temblor Range, the Tehachapi Mountains, and the southern Sierra Nevada. It grows on grassy slopes, woodlands, and other local habitat. It is endemic to California, where it grows in the hills and mountains on either side of the San Joaquin Valley, including the Temblor Range, the Tehachapi Mountains, and the southern Sierra Nevada. It grows on grassy slopes, woodlands, and other local habitat. Mentzelia pectinata is an annual herb producing an erect, green stem up to about half a meter tall. The leaves are up to 12 centimeters long in the basal rosette and divided into comblike lobes, and those higher on the stem are reduced in size. The inflorescence is a cluster of flowers with orange to yellow petals up to 2 centimeters long and often marked with red near the bases. At the center of the flower are many whiskery stamens. The fruit is a narrow, straight utricle up to 3. 5 centimeters long which contains many tiny, angular seeds.

Mentzelia reflexa is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae known by the common name reflexed blazingstar. It is native to the Mojave Desert and adjacent mountain ranges in California and Nevada, where it grows in rocky habitat and sometimes disturbed areas. It is an annual herb growing up to 20 centimeters tall and taking a rounded or clumped form. The abundant leaves are up to 10 centimeters long and toothed along the edges. The inflorescence is a cluster of flowers each with eight pale yellow petals. The fruit is a cylindrical utricle roughly a centimeter long containing many tiny bumpy white seeds.