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Dodecatheon conjugens

Bonneville shooting star, desert shootingstar, slim-pod shooting star

Sierra shootingstar, Sierran shootingstar

Habit Plants 5–30(–40) cm; scape usually glabrous, sometimes glandular-puberulent proximally. Plants 7–15(–25) cm; scape glabrous.
Caudices

not obvious at anthesis;

roots whitish;

bulblets absent.

not obvious at anthesis;

roots reddish, bulblets usually present.

Leaves

3–13(–18) × 0.7–2.5(–4) cm;

petiole slender (at least proximally);

blade narrowly oblanceolate to spatulate or obovate, base usually not decurrent onto stem, usually abruptly tapering to petiole, margins entire, surfaces glabrous or glandular-puberulent.

(2.5–)3–8(–10) × 0.5–1.5(–1.8) cm;

petiole usually not winged;

blade oblanceolate to narrowly spatulate, base usually slightly decurrent onto stem, gradually tapering to petiole, margins entire, sometimes slightly undulate, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

1–7(–10)-flowered;

bracts lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, 3–10 mm, glandular-puberulent.

1–5(–8)-flowered;

bracts linear to narrowly lanceolate, 2–6 mm, glabrous.

Pedicels

1–5 cm, glabrous or glandular-puberulent.

1–2(–3.5) cm, glabrous.

Flowers

calyx light green to yellowish, sometimes finely purple-speckled or -dotted, 5–12 mm, glabrous or glandular-puberulent, tube 2–6 mm, lobes 5, 3–7 mm;

corolla tube yellowish with purplish red, thin, wavy ring, lobes 5, usually magenta, sometimes white, 7–25(–35) mm;

filaments usually distinct, yellowish or dark maroon, 0.5–1.5 mm, rarely partially connate and tube 0.5–1.5 × 1.5–5 mm;

anthers 5–9 mm;

pollen sacs usually maroon or yellow, sometimes yellowish and speckled maroon, rarely with reddish purple to purple speckles, connective usually maroon, sometimes yellowish or light blue to whitish, transversely rugose;

stigma not enlarged compared to style.

calyx green, 3.5–6 mm, glabrous, tube 2–3 mm, lobes 5, 2.5–4.5 mm;

corolla tube usually yellow, sometimes white with dark maroon, thick, wavy ring, lobes 5, usually magenta, sometimes white, 5–9(–12) mm;

filaments connate, tube dark maroon, 2–3.5 × 1–1.5 mm;

anthers 3–4 mm;

pollen sacs yellow, streaked with purple, connective dark maroon, transversely rugose, (infrequently seemingly longitudinally wrinkled);

stigma not enlarged compared to style.

Capsules

tan, often striped with purple, usually operculate, rarely valvate, cylindric-ovoid, 8–17(–22) × 4–6(–8) mm, glabrous;

walls thin, pliable.

tan, valvate, cylindric-ovoid, 6–10(–13) × 3–4.5 mm, glabrous;

walls thin, pliable.

Seeds

without membrane along edges.

without membrane along edges.

2n

= 44.

= 66.

Dodecatheon conjugens

Dodecatheon subalpinum

Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Moist slopes, mainly shady places in conifer woodlands or in meadows and along stream banks
Elevation 2100-4000 m (6900-13100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; WA; WY; AB; BC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Both Dodecatheon conjugens and D. poeticum occur in proximity in the Columbia River gorge. Some specimens here assigned to var. conjugens may have scattered, minute glands on the pedicels that might indicate past hybridization with D. poeticum (e.g., G. N. Jones 6286, ORE; R. R. Halse 3790, OSC, WTU). Dodecatheon poeticum is densely glandular not only on the pedicels, but also on the calyx and scape. The type of minute glandular puberulence seen on var. conjugens found along the Columbia River west of The Dalles is somewhat similar to that seen on var. viscidum in western Montana and Canada. Some plants referred here to D. conjugens have slightly connate filaments that may indicate some intergradation with D. pulchellum var. pulchellum. This suggestion is supported by the tendency in the same plants to have narrower leaves.

Some newly emerged flowers tend to have connectives that are less rugose than normal. This is particularly true of some populations in southern Alberta and, to a lesser degree, in Saskatchewan.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Dodecatheon subalpinum is known from the high western slopes of the central and southern Sierra Nevada from Tuolumne County to Tulare County. This high-elevation ecotype might be considered a variety of D. hendersonii, for which the epithet yosemitanum H. Mason is available.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Leaf blades, scapes, and pedicels glabrous.
var. conjugens
1. Leaf blades, scapes proximally, and pedicels usually glandular-puberulent.
var. viscidum
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 271. FNA vol. 8, p. 274.
Parent taxa Primulaceae > Dodecatheon Primulaceae > Dodecatheon
Sibling taxa
D. alpinum, D. amethystinum, D. austrofrigidum, D. clevelandii, D. dentatum, D. ellisiae, D. frenchii, D. frigidum, D. hendersonii, D. jeffreyi, D. meadia, D. poeticum, D. pulchellum, D. redolens, D. subalpinum, D. utahense
D. alpinum, D. amethystinum, D. austrofrigidum, D. clevelandii, D. conjugens, D. dentatum, D. ellisiae, D. frenchii, D. frigidum, D. hendersonii, D. jeffreyi, D. meadia, D. poeticum, D. pulchellum, D. redolens, D. utahense
Subordinate taxa
D. conjugens var. conjugens, D. conjugens var. viscidum
Synonyms Primula conjugens Primula subalpina
Name authority Greene: Erythea 3: 40. (1895) Eastwood: Leafl. W. Bot. 2: 37. 1937 ,
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