|
Photographer: Robert R. Kowal
|
Family Primulaceae
Dodecatheon amethystinum (Fassett) Fassett
jeweled shooting-star
Dodecatheon: from Greek dodeka, "twelve;" thios, "god(s)." One source implies it was considered to be powerful medicine and under the care of the twelve leading gods, and another suggests that because the flowers sometimes appear in clusters of twelve
amethystinum: for the color "amethyst"
|
|
| Status: | Special Concern |
| Plant: | erect, perennial, 8"-24" tall, smooth forb |
| Flower: | magenta, 5-parted, 3/4"-1" long, petals facing backward and upward from the flower center; inflorescence an umbel of nodding, long-stalked flowers on a 8"-24" tall stalk; blooms April-June |
| Fruit: | light red/brown capsule, thin-walled, often about 3 times as long as wide, splitting at the base |
| Leaf: | oblong, basal, often with a reddish base |
| Habitat: | shade; moist; cliffs, streambanks; in limy soil |
| Notes: | very similar to D. media except for the capsule and habitat |
| (Glossary) |
|
 Fassett&phog=Robert R. Kowal&spcode=DODAME)
