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Dodecatheon dentatum
Dodecatheon dentatum Hook.
White Shootingstar
Primulaceae (Primrose Family)
Synonym(s):
USDA Symbol: DODE
USDA Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
A delicate, dwarf shooting stars, the flowering stem rising 16 in. above the rosette of crinkled, toothed, basal leaves. Open umbels of white flowers top the flowering stem. Small, dart-like flowers pointing in all directions from ends of branches of an umbel on a stalk growing from a basal rosette of leaves. The petals are abruptly reflexed back over the short floral tube to resemble a jet-propelled missle with a nose-cone of showy, yellow stamens. In addition, there is a showy, reddish-purple spot at the base of each petal.
This species has toothed (dentate) leaves, hence the species name. It is the only shooting star to have populations with consistently white flowers. In Utah, petals may be pink or pale violet; elsewhere petals are white or cream. Plants in Arizona and New Mexico have stamens with yellow filaments; in the Northwest filaments are dark maroon or black.
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Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Herb
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Breeding System: Flowers Bisexual
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Up to about 16 inches tall.
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: WhiteBloom Time: May , Jun , Jul
Distribution
USA: AZ , ID , NM , OR , UT , WANative Distribution: E. side of the Cascades from s. B.C. to n. OR, e. to c. ID & n. UT
Native Habitat: Stream banks; shaded, moist slopes
Growing Conditions
Light Requirement: ShadeSoil Moisture: Moist
Soil Description: Moist soils.
Conditions Comments: Shooting stars go dormant almost immediately after flowering.
Value to Beneficial Insects
Special Value to Bumble BeesThis information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
Propagation
Description: Propagate by division or seed.Commercially Avail: yes
National Wetland Indicator Status
Region: | AGCP | AK | AW | CB | EMP | GP | HI | MW | NCNE | WMVE |
Status: | FACW | FACW |
Web Reference
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.Webref 63 - Pacific Northwest Wildflowers (2020) Turner Photographics
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter
Additional resources
USDA: Find Dodecatheon dentatum in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Dodecatheon dentatum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Dodecatheon dentatum
Metadata
Record Modified: 2023-02-06Research By: TWC Staff