Dodecatheon alpinum
Encyclopedia
Dodecatheon alpinum is a species of flowering plant in the primrose family
known by the common name alpine shooting star. This wildflower is native to the Southwestern United States
where it grows in wet areas in mountains, such as the Sierra Nevada.
, sometimes growing along the edges of bog
s and in shallow, slow rivulets. This is a thick-rooted perennial with narrow, straight leaves around the base. It erects slim, tall stems which are dark in color and are topped with inflorescence
s of one or more showy flowers. Each flower nods with its mouth pointed to the ground when new, and becomes more erect with age. It has four reflexed sepal
s in shades of bright pink or lavender which lie back against the body of the flower. These may have bases of white or yellow which rim the corolla. From the corolla mouth protrude large black anthers
and a thready stigma
.
Primulaceae
Primulaceae is a family of flowering plants with about 24 genera, including some favorite garden plants and wildflowers. It is also known as the primrose family.- Genera :...
known by the common name alpine shooting star. This wildflower is native to the Southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
where it grows in wet areas in mountains, such as the Sierra Nevada.
Description
Dodecatheon alpinum is partially aquaticAquatic plant
Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments. They are also referred to as hydrophytes or aquatic macrophytes. These plants require special adaptations for living submerged in water, or at the water's surface. Aquatic plants can only grow in water or in soil that is...
, sometimes growing along the edges of bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
s and in shallow, slow rivulets. This is a thick-rooted perennial with narrow, straight leaves around the base. It erects slim, tall stems which are dark in color and are topped with inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s of one or more showy flowers. Each flower nods with its mouth pointed to the ground when new, and becomes more erect with age. It has four reflexed sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s in shades of bright pink or lavender which lie back against the body of the flower. These may have bases of white or yellow which rim the corolla. From the corolla mouth protrude large black anthers
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
and a thready stigma
Gynoecium
Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for all carpels in a flower. A carpel is the ovule and seed producing reproductive organ in flowering plants. Carpels are derived from ovule-bearing leaves which evolved to form a closed structure containing the ovules...
.