DODECATHEON

( PRIMULACEAE)   meadia

Whatever you know them as; Shooting star, American cowslip, Indian-chief, Rooster-heads, Johnny-jump or the Pride-of-Ohio, these widely admired native wildflowers can be found over most of the Eastern United States.

These delightful plants occur naturally in prairies, meadows, and open woods from Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, north to D. C., Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

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The strong stem rises straight up from the middle of the plant and then from the top hang down many of these pretty pointed flowers. Each dainty flower has a perfect point with five petals that sweep back, giving the appearance of the tail of a shooting star.

The flowers range in color from white, light pink to magenta and have a fragrance similar to the odor of grape juice. The beauty of this species is something that truly has to be seen to be appreciated.

The light grayish-green foliage ranges from 3-12 inches in length and ½ to 4 inches wide, and can be oblong, ovate or oblanceolate with an obtuse apex and subcordate leaf base. The basal leaves are generally 4 times longer than they are wide.

Excellent for naturalizing, they should be planted in drifts or colonies along paths or rock gardens where the delicate flowers can be easily enjoyed. They are also suited for planting under deciduous trees because they grow and flower in early spring. Once they become dormant, they will tolerate the drier soil and deep shade underneath the leaf canopy.

MOIST, WELL-DRAINED, HUMUS-RICH SOIL FULL SUN TO PART SHADE GROWS 18-26 INCHES TALL PLANTS DORMANT IN SUMMER SEEDS GERMINATE WITHOUT PRETREATMENT DIVIDED & TRANSPLANTED AFTER FLOWERING HARDY IN ZONES 4-9

D. alpinum   -   A true alpine form with 2 inches tufts of lanceolate leaves and 6 or more large violet shooting stars on 4-6 inch scapes. Prefers wet peaty soils

D. clevelandii   -   A variable species from the West Coast, flower color is pink to magenta, umbels can range from 1-16 flowers and be anywhere from 5-45cm in height, depending on where it was collected; these will probably be larger forms.
   ssp. Patulum   -   A large flowered form, umbels of 15 or more 1 inch flowers on compact 6-9 inch scapes, very intricately colored with deep red violet corolla tube, petals white to lavender shading darker towards the tips, deep red violet filament tube with a yellow basal ring and topped with a spot of white.

D. hendersonii (Woodland Shooting Star)   -   A tiny form with scapes of up to 6 flowers arising from a prostrate rosette of small elliptical leaves; flowers are deep violet with the bases of the filament tubes banded white and yellow. It is distributed throughout the mountains of the Pacific Northwest often found in coniferous woodlands.

D. jeffreyi (Tall Mountain Shootingstar)   -   One of the tallest species distinguished by its unusual large leaves. Arising from rosettes of 18 inch leaves, the huge scapes to 30 inches form immense clusters of 24 or more flowers, with purple stamens and white corolla tubes. The color extends into the petals gradually shading from lavender pink to violet at the tips. Grows from Alaska to California in wet sites.

D. pulchellum (Darkthroat Shooting Star)   -   An easy to grow showy species often with intensely colored flowers. It slowly forms clumps which can be divided, but is best propagated by seed. It is roughly distributed throughout the Western U.S.A. in states such as Arizona and Utah. Grows 12-18 inches tall - filtered sun to light shade. Likes moist conditions during growing season, dry otherwise.