Mentzelia lindleyi, Lindley's Blazing Star

Upright yellow spring-blooming flower to 3'' tall with golden yellow satiny sheen. One of most striking of annual Western wildflowers, with large flowers up to 3" in diameter.  A deep orange center and numerous long golden stamen contrast with the five large yellow petals. Flowers open in the afternoon.

With its taproot, it likes sandy or gravelly soil and is found in woodland openings and in sandy or rocky flats and slopes throughout Arizona and the dry warm parts of California. It tolerates sun or part-shade. The bloom season can be extended by deadheading.

Blazing star looks good with deep blues like Phacelia campanularia, Desert Bluebells, and Lupinus species. We also like it against a background of poppies or of goldfields. Sow directly in ground or in 4" pots, but move out of the pots as soon as roots allow.