Dodecatheon meadia


Dodecatheon meadia, commonly known as shooting star, is a species of flowering plant in the primrose family. It is native to the eastern United States and Canada, spanning north from Manitoba and New York, south to Texas and Florida.
It has a wide natural habitat, being found in both forests and prairies. It is most often found in calcareous areas. It can be locally common in some areas of its range, however, it can become rare on its geographic edges.

Description

Dodecatheon meadia is perennial, growing to high. Its flowers that emerge from a basal rosette of leaves. It blooms in the spring. The flowers are nodding, and from an umbel. Its seeds are dispersed by gusts of wind that shake the erect scapes.
This species is geographically widespread, and has considerable morphological variation across its range. Most southern population have white petals, while northern populations have lavender to magenta petals.
D. meadia and the white-flowered form D. meadia f. album have both gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Dodecatheon meadia 'Goliath' is a cultivar that grows larger flowers on taller scapes.