''Lysimachia borealis'' (synonym ''Trientalis borealis''), the starflower, is a

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

n woodland

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...

that blooms between May and June.

Description

Starflowers have creeping

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow ...

s with vertical stalks. Each stalk has a whorl of 5–10

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf plant morphology, morphology in the description and taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflet (bo ...

leaves (up to 8 cm long) at its tip, with 1-4 (most often one or two) white flowers on smaller stalks extending from the center of the whorl. The flowers are about across and consist of five to nine petals that form a star-like shape. Its fruit is tiny, globe-shaped, pale blue, and matte.

Distribution and habitat

''Lysimachia borealis'' is found from Canada to north-centeral and eastern United States. It is found in

temperate climate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...

Conservation status

The starflower is listed as endangered by Georgia and Kentucky and is listed as threatened by Illinois and Tennessee.Trientalis borealis Raf. ssp. borealis

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...

Retrieved 3 November 2017.

References

Northern Starflower
borealforest.org *''Wildflowers of Minnesota's Northwoods'' pamphlet, 1999,

Minnesota DNR The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, or Minnesota DNR, is the agency of the U.S. state of Minnesota charged with conserving and managing the state's natural resources. The agency maintains areas such as state parks, state forests, recre ...

{{Asterid-stub borealis Flora of Northern America Plants described in 1808