I found this on the dry dunes near the Utah Lake. The top of the plant probably shows a bud of the future flower. But the most characteristic feature - dry fruits - is seen on the third photo. I went through the local list of plants (around 3000 species) and still don't have a clue what this could be. I am not going to return to this place any time soon, so if someone could help me to narrow down my list, I would be happy.
Perfect, thank you guys! We got 30 Mentzelia species in Utah. It took a while to go over the key. Luckily, I found some seeds still hiding in the capsules - will try to sprout them. The major problem in the key as usual was to decide whether this is an annual or perennial. But in the perennial section, the location did not match. So, this is Mentzelia laevicaulis, indeed.
