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Mentzelia albicaulis - Douglas.

Common Name Whitestem Blazing Star
Family Loasaceae
USDA hardiness Coming soon
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Dry, especially sandy soils, in desert valleys and foothills[71].
Range Western N. America - British Columbia to California.
Edibility Rating    (2 of 5)
Other Uses    (0 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (1 of 5)
Care (info)
Well drained soil Moist Soil Full sun
Mentzelia albicaulis Whitestem Blazing Star


Mentzelia albicaulis Whitestem Blazing Star

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Mentzelia albicaulis is a ANNUAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft). The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs).
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Plant Habitats

 Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Seed
Edible Uses:

Seed - raw or cooked. The oily seed is parched and ground into a meal then mixed with water to make a mush[2, 46, 61, 105, 161, 212, 257]. The seed meal can be kneaded into a seed butter and used as a spread on bread[257]. The minute seeds are much used for food by several native North American Indian tribes[207].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Odontalgic  Poultice  Salve

A poultice of the crushed, soaked seeds has been applied to burns and also to relieve the pain of toothache[257].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

None known

Special Uses

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

We have very little information on this species and are not sure that it will succeed outdoors in Britain, though it should be possible to grow it as a half-hardy annual. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1]. Prefers a moderately fertile well-drained soil in a warm sunny sheltered position[200].

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

Seed - sow spring in situ[200]. Germination should take place within a couple of weeks.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

NORTHERN AMERICA: Canada (British Columbia (south)), United States (South Dakota (west), Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, New Mexico, Texas (west), Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah), Mexico (Baja California (Norte))

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Mentzelia multifloraManyflowered Mentzelia, Adonis blazingstarPerennial0.0 0-0  LMHNDM21 
Mentzelia pumilaDwarf MentzeliaPerennial0.0 -  LMHNDM21 

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

Douglas.

Botanical References

6071

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

Readers comment

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