Primula meadia

Primula meadia (syn. Dodecatheon meadia), known by the common names shooting star, eastern shooting star, American cowslip, roosterheads, and prairie pointers[3][4] is a species of flowering plant in the primrose family Primulaceae. It is native to the eastern United States and Canada, spanning north from Manitoba and New York, south to Texas and Florida.[5][6]

Primula meadia

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Primulaceae
Genus: Primula
Section: Primula sect. Dodecatheon
Species:
P. meadia
Binomial name
Primula meadia
(L.) A.R.Mast & Reveal
Synonyms[2]
List
    • Dodecatheon angustifolium Raf.
    • Dodecatheon brachycarpum Small
    • Dodecatheon cordatum Raf.
    • Dodecatheon crenatum Raf.
    • Dodecatheon cuneatum Raf.
    • Dodecatheon ellipticum Raf.
    • Dodecatheon flexuosum Raf.
    • Dodecatheon hugeri Small
    • Dodecatheon integrifolium Michx.
    • Dodecatheon longifolium Raf.
    • Dodecatheon lutescens C.Z.Nelson
    • Dodecatheon meadia L.
    • Dodecatheon obovatum Raf.
    • Dodecatheon obtusum Raf.
    • Dodecatheon ovatum Raf.
    • Dodecatheon parviflorum Raf.
    • Dodecatheon pauciflorum subsp. eupauciflorum R.Knuth
    • Dodecatheon pauciflorum var. exquisitum J.F.Macbr. & Payson
    • Dodecatheon reflexum Salisb.
    • Dodecatheon serratum Raf.
    • Dodecatheon stanfieldii Small
    • Dodecatheon triflorum Raf.
    • Dodecatheon undatum Raf.
    • Dodecatheon uniflorum Raf.
    • Meadia crenata (Raf.) Kuntze
    • Meadia dodecathea Crantz
    • Meadia dodecatheon Mill.

It has a wide natural habitat, being found in both forests and prairies. It is most often found in calcareous areas.[5][7] It can be locally common in some areas of its range, however, it can become rare on its geographic edges.[5]

Description

Primula meadia is a perennial, growing to 8–20 in (203–508 mm) high, with flowers that emerge from a basal rosette of leaves (scapose). It blooms in the spring. The flowers are nodding, and form an umbel. Its seeds are dispersed by gusts of wind that shake the erect scapes.[8]

This species is geographically widespread, and has considerable morphological variation across its range. Most southern population have white petals, while northern populations have white to pink, lavender, or magenta petals.[5][9]

  • Pink-flowered
    Pink-flowered
  • In southeastern regions, petals are typically white
    In southeastern regions, petals are typically white

Cultivation

Primula meadia and the white-flowered form P. meadia f. album have both gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[10][11][12]

Primula meadia 'Goliath' is a cultivar that grows larger flowers on taller scapes.[13]

References
  1. NatureServe (5 May 2023). "Dodecatheon meadia". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  2. "Primula meadia (L.) A.R.Mast & Reveal". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  3. Plants-NCSU.edu: Dodecatheon meadia
  4. "Shooting star, Dodecatheon meadia". Wisconsin Horticulture Division of Extension. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  5. Dodecatheon meadia Flora of North America
  6. "Dodecatheon meadia". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  7. Weakley, Alan S. (2018), Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States, working draft of 20 August 2018, University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  8. Shooting Star, Dodecatheon meadia Illinois Wildflowers
  9. Wilhelm, Gerould; Rericha, Laura (2017). Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Indiana Academy of Sciences.
  10. "RHS Plantfinder - Dodecatheon meadia". Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  11. "Dodecatheon meadia f. album". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  12. "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 29. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  13. Steiner, Lynn M. 2006. Landscaping with native plants of Michigan. St. Paul, MN: MBI Pub. Co. Page 82.
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