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narcissus shooting star, poet's shooting star

Ellis' shootingstar

Habit Plants 10–45 cm; scape glandular-pubescent. Plants 10–30(–40) cm; scape glabrous.
Caudices

not obvious at anthesis;

roots white;

bulblets usually present.

not obvious at anthesis;

roots white;

bulblets absent.

Leaves

(3–)5–16(–20) × 0.5–2.5(–3) cm;

petiole usually winged;

blade oblanceolate to spatulate, base usually decurrent onto stem, gradually tapering to petiole, margins usually entire, sometimes denticulate to slightly toothed, surfaces glandular-pubescent.

4–20(–23) × 1.5–4(–6) cm;

petiole usually slender (at least basally);

blade broadly elliptic to ovate, base slightly decurrent onto stem, abruptly tapering to petiole, margins sinuate to dentate, surfaces glabrous.

Inflorescences

2–10(–17)-flowered;

bracts narrowly to broadly lanceolate, 2–10 mm, glandular-pubescent.

1–6-flowered;

bracts narrowly lanceolate, 3–8(–10) mm, glabrous.

Pedicels

1–3.5 cm, glandular-pubescent.

1.5–4.5(–5.5) cm, glabrous.

Flowers

calyx greenish, often with pinkish purple to purple speckles, 5–9 mm, glabrous or slightly glandular at least along margins, tube 2–4(–5) mm, lobes 5, 3–5 mm;

corolla tube maroon and yellow with reddish, thin, wavy ring, lobes 5, magenta to lavender, (8–)10–15(–18) mm;

filaments connate, tube maroon, 1.5–3 × 2–3 mm;

anthers 4–7 mm;

pollen sacs maroon to black, connective deep purple to black, transversely rugose (sometimes seemingly smooth [when immature] or transversely wrinkled [when dried]);

stigma not enlarged compared to style.

calyx light green, 4–6 mm, glabrous, tube 2–3 mm, lobes 5, 2.5–4 mm;

corolla tube yellow with red, thin, wavy ring, lobes 5, usually white, rarely lavender, 13–20 mm;

filaments distinct, whitish yellow to yellow, 0.6–1 mm;

anthers 6.5–8 mm;

pollen sacs purplish to reddish purple or yellow, often streaked with red, connective yellow basally, smooth;

stigma not enlarged compared to style.

Capsules

tan, often faintly reddish apically, valvate, short-ovoid, 6–9 × 4–7 mm, glandular-pubescent;

walls usually thick and firm.

tan to light brown, valvate, narrowly ovoid, 9–13 × 3–5 mm, glabrous;

walls thin, pliable.

Seeds

without membrane along edges.

without membrane along edges.

2n

= 44, 88.

Dodecatheon poeticum

Dodecatheon ellisiae

Phenology Flowering spring. Flowering late spring–summer.
Habitat Moist flats, slopes, and cliff faces in grassland communities and in oak and conifer woodlands Moist, usually shady slopes in oak and conifer woodlands
Elevation 50-900 m (200-3000 ft) 2400-3100 m (7900-10200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico (Chihuahua)
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Dodecatheon poeticum grows mainly in the Columbia River gorge and on the eastern edge of the Cascade Range in Washington, and in Oregon. Nearby one can find D. conjugens var. conjugens and D. pulchellum var. cusickii, features of which (the rugose connective of the former, the glandular condition of the latter) are combined in D. poeticum. The distinct filaments of var. conjugens readily distinguish that taxon from D. poeticum; distinction between D. poeticum and D. pulchellum var. cusickii is difficult. The former has maroon pollen sacs; var. cusickii has yellow ones. Plants with all of the features of D. poeticum rarely have the smooth connective typical of D. pulchellum. H. J. Thompson (1953) suggested that D. poeticum (a tetraploid) might be the product of an allopolyploid involving var. cusickii and D. hendersonii (both diploids).

The leaves of Dodecatheon poeticum are occasionally slightly toothed and relatively broad (e.g., K. L. Chambers 2080, OSC) and resemble the leaves of D. dentatum, a species that flowers in the Gorge typically after D. poeticum. Rootstocks with bulblets are rarely seen on herbarium specimens.

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

Dodecatheon ellisiae occurs in two disjunct locations. In north-central New Mexico, it is found in the mountains of Bernalillo, Sandoval, and Torrance counties. In southeastern Arizona, it is known from the mountains of southern Apache (White Mountains), southern Graham (Pinaleno Mountains), Greenlee, and northeastern Santa Rita (Santa Catalina Mountains) counties. On the Graham Mountains in Arizona, the corolla lobes may be lavender. Plants in Arizona and Chihuahua have yellow stamens with some red speckling. It is not known if this is significant taxonomically; it does suggest a shift in pollinators.

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

Source FNA vol. 8, p. 284. FNA vol. 8, p. 279.
Parent taxa Primulaceae > Dodecatheon Primulaceae > Dodecatheon
Sibling taxa
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. pulchellum, D. redolens, D. subalpinum, D. utahense
D. alpinum, D. amethystinum, D. austrofrigidum, D. clevelandii, D. conjugens, D. dentatum, D. frenchii, D. frigidum, D. hendersonii, D. jeffreyi, D. meadia, D. poeticum, D. pulchellum, D. redolens, D. subalpinum, D. utahense
Synonyms Primula poetica D. dentatum subsp. ellisiae, D. dentatum var. ellisiae, Primula standleyana
Name authority L. F. Henderson: Rhodora 32: 27. 1930 , Standley: Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 26: 195. 1913 ,
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