Taxon Report

Mentzelia tridentata (A. Davids.) H.J. Thomps. & Joyce Roberts

creamy blazing star

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Mentzelia tridentata, commonly known as creamy blazing star, is a annual herb in the Loasaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Mojavean desert scrub, growing at elevations from 700 to 1175 meters. Mentzelia tridentata is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Mentzelia tridentata (A. Davids.) H.J. Thomps. & Joyce Roberts
Common Name:	creamy blazing star
Family:	Loasaceae
Element Code:	PDLOA031U0
USDA Plants Symbol:	METR4
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb
Blooming Period: Mar-May	Mar-May
Elevation:	700-1175 (2295-3855)
General Habitats:	Mojavean desert scrub
Microhabitat:	Gravelly, Rocky, Sandy
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Global Rank:	G3
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S; SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	51
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	4
Good (B)	8
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	2
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	37

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Inyo (INY), Kern (KRN), San Bernardino (SBD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Ballarat (3611712), Barstow (3411781), Barstow SE (3411771), Bird Spring (3511723), Camp Rock Mine (3411666), Cantil (3511738), Daggett (3411678), Fry Mountains (3411656), Grand View Mine (3411657), Haiwee Reservoirs (3611728), Iron Ridge (3411655), Lane Mountain (3511618), Little Lake (3511788), Minneola (3411677), Nebo (3411688), Newberry Springs (3411676), Old Woman Springs (3411646), Ord Mountain (3411667), Panamint (3611711), Parker (3411423), Saltdale NW (3511748), Snaggletooth (3411456), Volcano Peak (3511787), West Ord Mountain (3411668), White Horse Mtn. (3411658), Yermo (3411687)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	5
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	10	20 %
ORV activity	9	17%
Military operations	7	13%
Mining	2	3%
Development	1	1%
Grazing	1	1%

Notes



Threatened by vehicles, mining, and grazing. See Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 9:71 (1910) for original description, and Phytologia 21(4):287 (1971) for revised nomenclature.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 13 May 2025].