Shooting Star

The most recent botanical name for Shooting star is Primula meadia. It was formerly known as Dodecatheon meadia. Studies of plant DNA are finding plants once assigned to one family, actually belong to another. Hence its been determined that the genus Dodecathon really belongs with the genus Primula, the Primrose family.

The common name, Shooting Star is an apt name for this plant. The recurved petals and bloom tip look almost as if they have catapulted from the sky.

The specific epithet, meadia, was named for Dr. Richard Mead, 1673-1754, who was an English scientist and physician to King George. He was an advocate of inoculation for smallpox and contributed to the study of preventative medicine.

Shooting stars have a wide geographic range from north Wisconsin and south to Georgia. Hence it's not surprising to find variation in flowers from one region to the another. Plants from northern states tend to have flowers that are more often lavender/pink, whereas those in southern locations are more likely white. Here on Ozarkedge (Northern Arkansas) both white and pink flowers are seen blooming together, with white flowers being a bit more common than lavender/pink flowers.

Each downward facing flower has five petals that sweep upward. The border of each flower, no matter if it is white or lavender, has a black and chartreuse stripe appearing just above the tip of the flower. The filaments (of the stamen) are fused and form a tube-like structure at the flower tip. The pistil (of the style) protrudes from the tube looking much like a stinger.

The basal rosettes of Dodecatheon meadia appear in March with large, ovate leaves growing to 2.5 inches wide and up to 6 inches in length. Each leaf has a central vein that often has a lovely red tint. The beautiful leaves are readily distinguished among those of other spring woodland wildflowers.

When the flowering time approaches, a single, hairless stem (scape) appears with buds in place. The stem has a reddish cast at its base and may continue red or transition to green. It soars above the basal leaves up to a height of about 16 inches. Buds and flowers at such a height can’t be missed in the spring woodland. At the top of the stems, buds open into the downward facing flowers.

After flowering, oval seed pods appear. While not as beautiful as the flowers, the developing seed pods create their own drama. Stems that once curved downward when flowering, now begin to straighten, eventually holding their seed pods erect. This helps protect the pod until seeds are ripe and ready to spill out. Once ripe, the tiny seeds are shaken out of their pods by wind, and scattered away from the mother plant.

Shooting stars don't offer nectar, so insect visitors are seeking pollen. The pendulous flowers make it challenging for insects to reach the pollen. Hence the primary pollinators are Queen Bumble bees. Even for these Bumble bees, it requires a feat to access the pollen.

Queen Bumble bees need pollen for their own sustenance and to store as food for their larvae. Fortunately, they are strong enough to perform a feat called 'buzz pollination' (sonication). The Bumble bee performs this feat by hanging upside down on a flower and vibrating her thoracic muscles while keeping her wings still. This vibration shakes pollen grains free from the anthers, sprinkling them on her abdomen. As she travels flower to flower, pollen grains on her abdomen are rubbed onto the protruding styles of each plant, pollinating them. Once she's visited several flowers, she grooms herself, scraping pollen grains into pollen baskets (corbicula) on her hind legs. She also consumes some pollen as she works. Hence, even though the plant offers no nectar, it has an ingenious way to have its flowers pollinated, allowing it to develop seed and reproduce.

Other bees visiting the flowers are Anthophoridae bees, long-horned bees (Melissodes spp.), and green metallic bees (Augochlorella, Augochloropsis). All of these bees collect pollen.

Primula meadia can be found in varied habitats including rocky woodlands, streambanks and prairies, especially those with calcareous soils.

Primula meadia is having a tough time in many states within its range. Natureserve has it listed as:

Critically imperiled (S1)- Michigan Minnesota and Pennsylvania

Imperiled (S2)- Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina

Imperiled/Vulnerable (S2S3)- North Carolina

Vulnerable (S3)- Georgia, Kansas, Maryland

Apparently Secure (S4)- Iowa, Virginia, West Virginia

Apparently Secur/Secure (S4/S5)- Tennessee

Secure (S5)- Kentucky

Presumed extirpated (SX)- Florida and New York

No Status Ranking- Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin

In Arkansas Primula meadia is assigned a Conservation Value of 9, meaning it has a strong fidelity to intact habitats.

Shooting stars is just one of the cleverly descriptive common names of this plant. Being a widespread plant, it has some of the most wonderfully colorful local names I've run across in my native plant research. Across its range its commonly known as Shooting stars, American cowslip, Cowslip primrose, Eastern shooting star, Roosterheads and Prairie pointers.

On another note, I photographed this caterpillar consuming the flowers and foliage of Primula meadia back in 2011. I haven't been able to identify the caterpillar. Could Primula meadia be a host plant for this caterpillar? I haven't been able to confirm that it hosts caterpillars of any butterflies or moths, but I'll keep checking.