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Dodecatheon hendersonii

broad-leaved shooting star, Henderson's shooting star

narcissus shooting star, poet's shooting star

Habit Scapose, perennial herbs without rhizomes but with numerous bulblets on the roots, the flowering stems 1-3 dm. tall, Scapose, perennial herbs without rhizomes or bulblets, finely glandular-pubescent throughout, the flowering stems 1-4 dm. tall.
Leaves

Leaves basal, usually glabrous, the blades ovate to deltoid-elliptic, usually entire, narrowed abruptly to petioles + as long to nearly as long.

Leaves basal, the blades oblong-lanceolate to oblanceolate, 4-15 cm. long, narrowed gradually to winged petioles about the same length, coarsely serrate to nearly entire.

Flowers

Flowers 2-15 in an umbel, terminal on the scape, 4- or 5-parted;

calyx purple-flecked, with lanceolate lobes 6-8 mm. long;

corolla 15-25 mm. long, the lobes deep magenta to light orchid, grading to yellow at the base and on the tube, the base of the tube reddish-purple;

stamens clustered around the style, opposite the petals, the filaments united to form a tube 2-4 mm. long, deep reddish-purple;

anthers 4-6 mm. long, deep red to purple;

style single, slightly exceeding the stamens, the stigma not enlarged.

Flowers 2-10 in an umbel, terminal on the scape, 5-parted;

calyx greenish, the lobes 3-5 mm. long;

corolla 12-20 mm. long, the lobes broad, bright pink to orchid, the tube yellow with a carmine band at the base;

stamens clustered around the style, opposite the petals, the filaments united to form a tube 1.5-2.5 mm. long, deep purplish;

anthers 5-7 mm. long, purple;

style single, barely exceeding the stamens, the stigma slightly enlarged.

Fruits

Capsule cylindric-ovoid, 7-12 mm. long, with the tip dropping off to release the seeds.

Capsule ovoid, 6-9 mm. long, opening by valves to the tip.

Dodecatheon hendersonii

Dodecatheon poeticum

Flowering time March-June March-May
Habitat Woods and prairies, at low elevations in our area. Grassy slopes to drier woods, usually where vernally moist, often near seeps or springs along basaltic outcrops.
Distribution
Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; central Washington to northern and northeastern Oregon.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Origin Native Native
Conservation status Not of concern Not of concern
Sibling taxa
D. alpinum, D. austrofrigidum, D. conjugens, D. dentatum, D. jeffreyi, D. poeticum, D. pulchellum
D. alpinum, D. austrofrigidum, D. conjugens, D. dentatum, D. hendersonii, D. jeffreyi, D. pulchellum
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