About Mortonia utahensis (Coville ex A.Gray) J.Nelson
Mortonia utahensis is a species of flowering plant in the Celastraceae family, commonly called Utah mortonia. It is native to the southwestern United States, where it grows in desert and mountain scrub and woodland, most often on limestone substrates. This plant is an erect, broomlike shrub that reaches a maximum height close to 1.2 meters. Its branching stems range from white to gray in color and are covered in rough hairs. The leaves are thick, curling, concave, oval-shaped, with either a pointed or rounded tip, and grow up to around 1.5 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a narrow panicle holding many flowers. Each flower has five rough greenish sepals and five thin white petals that are a few millimeters long. The fruit forms as a cluster of nutlets.
