Welcome to the Kentucky Native Plant and Wildlife Blog.

Welcome to the Kentucky Native Plant and Wildlife Blog.
The purpose of this blog is to provide information on using native plants in the landscape, issues related to invasive exotic plants, urban wildlife management, and wildlife damage management. It is my intention that this information will assist you in deciphering the multitude of information circulating around the web and condense in some meaningful method as it relates to Kentucky. In addition, I hope to highlight a native plant that can be used in the landscape.



Monday, March 19, 2012

Plant of the week: Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia)



This tried and true member of the primrose family should be a staple in any woodland wildflower garden, or any native plant garden because it can tolerate full sun.  My first reaction to seeing this species in the wild was one of fascination because I found it growing in wet, seepy, calcareous, forest and then I also found it in the middle of an extremely dry, limestone glade in western Kentucky.  What an adaptable plant and to get the best effect in the garden, you must plant this species en masse because the individual flowers are small (maybe an inch in length) but the entire group looks like "shooting stars" in the evening sky, hence the common name because each individual flower has five petals that are reflexed or swept-back with yellow stamens that converge to give the appearance of a shooting star falling to earth.  Other names given to this plant include Pride of Ohio or Prairie Pointers. While the most common color form is white, you can find those that are pink to purple in coloration.  The entire plant will grow up to 18" tall from a basal rosette of leaves that disappear by June in the garden leaving only the stalk and seed head.  Numerous seeds are produced and in nature the wind typically blows the seed head and the tiny, black seeds are blown out of the capsule.  Over time they can form large colonies but the best way to get a colony going in the garden is to divide the roots by washing those of a mature plant and then looking for black dots (dormant buds) where the long white roots meet the basal leaves and then cutting those and starting a new plant.  Growing from seed isn't that difficult although it takes plants three years to produce flowers and the tiny seedlings are very susceptible to damping off.  The seeds should be stored in a refrigerator for 3 to 4 months prior to propagation.  This plant usually flowers in mid to late-April and because it does go dormant, you will need to interplant with something else or you will have a big brown dirt patch in the garden.  I recommend northern maidenhair fern, which will come up around the same time to slightly later in the woodland garden.  In Kentucky we have another species, French's shooting star, that is considered rare and likes acidic sandstone soils compared to the neutral to basic soils of regular shooting star.  There is one cultivar on the market, 'Goliath' which espouses to have larger individual flowers.  The name for this species originated with Pliny the Elder 23 - 79 AD because it was believed to be under the care of twelve Gods (Dodeca means 12 and theos means God).  For those who know nothing about Pliny, he wrote the first natural history encyclopedia, Naturalis historia, a standard by which all future encyclopedia were compared.
A colony of French's Shooting Star growing under a sandstone outcrop in western Kentucky.

7 comments:

  1. Dr. Barnes, Thank you for posting the info on this beautiful flower. I started photographing wildflowers last year and unfortunately this is one that I missed. I love the excitement and surprise that comes with every new flower I find. Your books "Wildflower & Ferns of Ky" and "How to Find and Photograph Ky Wildflowers" have been an invaluable source of information for me. Thank you, S

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks I am glad you enjoy the photography as it is a great way to relax and enjoy nature. Make sure you share all those wonderful flowers with everyone you meet so they can enjoy them too. I don't know where you live, but the easiest place to see the pink form of shooting star on the glade is right in the city of Russellville at the Logan County Glade State Nature Preserve. You park behind the old hospital and the trail takes you through the woods a short distance and it opens up into the glade. Turn left as you are going up the trail and the shooting stars will be all around you on the left. I would try for the third to fourth week of April and other things you will find there will be lots of bird foot violet (all color forms) and hoary puccoon. Then head over to the Baker Natural Area on the northside of town for some other good grassland and glade stuff.

      Delete
    2. I'm from Knott Co and work as an Administrative Assistant for the Extension Office there. I agree that the photography is a definitely great way to relax. My best friend has a Hort degree so I'm always pulling her along with me (I don't have to pull hard though) I plan to go to Natural Bridge in early April, can't wait to find some of the flowers listed in your photograph book. Thanks again.

      Delete
    3. At the present time the Va bluebells are peak in the RRG, the white and red trillums are flowering, jacob's ladder, and a whole host of other species as well. The first week in April might be peak for the trilliums, a good three weeks early.

      Delete
  2. I am grateful to see these pictures so I can identify the mystery leaves coming up in my native plant garden. I bought two small shooting star plants at a garden show last spring and was not told that the plant went dormant in early summer. Naturally, when they dried up and disappeared I assumed that they had died, not liking where I planted them. I threw the tags away and forgot all about them. Fortunately, the leaves look too pretty to be weeds so I've been keeping an eye on them to see what develops. Now I know, and I will eagerly await the flowers next month. I'm also glad to know how to divide them for larger groups. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have been researching dodecatheons online for some time now, and I have seen nothing like the vivid whites and pinks of the eastern variety! Ours in BC are mostly magenta and bluish purple and only 1 white species with very small blossoms. Don't get me wrong; they're pretty magnificent to in the west, but the eastern species are very eye catching. Thanks for posting these beauts online. Looks great!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi! It's me again. I forgot to say THANK YOU to Dr. Thomas Barnes for his great photography and his great passion for Kentucky nature! Say, would the Dwarf Crested Irises that you posted on the cover of WFs and Fs of KY be popping up anytime soon? Juuust wondering, haha!

    ReplyDelete