Plants · La Saladita, Guerrero

tropical blazingstar

Mentzelia aspera

Spanish: Pega pega

Mentzelia aspera, the tropical blazingstar, is a species of flowering plant in the family Loasaceae. It is native to the subtropical and tropical New World, from Arizona to northwestern Argentina, and it has been introduced to Cape Verde. An annual reaching 75 cm (30 in), it is found in a variety of habitats, including desert scrublands and grasslands, and in riverine situations, such as arroyos and canyon bottoms, often in association with cottonwoods and willows.

TaxonomyMagnoliopsida › Cornales › Loasaceae

Local records11 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)

Global records1,225 on iNaturalist

Most recent records2021 – 2025

Months of the 8 most recent records

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Recent local sightings

2025-11-23 — observation by roberto_sanchez_rodriguez
2025-01-04 — observation by zihuadean
2024-02-14 — observation by daniel_brito
2024-01-16 — observation by winterwren22
2024-01-07 — observation by zihuadean
2023-02-02 — observation by zihuadean

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Plants guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “tropical blazingstar (Mentzelia aspera) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/mentzelia-aspera/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.