''Primula clevelandii'', with the common name of Padre's shooting star, is a species of primrose. Its

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

''clevelandii'' honors 19th-century San Diego–based plant collector and lawyer Daniel Cleveland.

Description

''Primula clevelandii'' is spring

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

, dying back to the ground after the rains cease. It has basal clumps of leaves up to 40 centimeters long. The flowers are magenta to deep lavender to white. They are nodding flowers each about an inch long on stems up to a foot tall. This species hybridizes with ''

Primula hendersonii ''Primula hendersonii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, native to western North America, from California north to southern British Columbia and Idaho. Common names include broad-leaved shooting star, Henderson's shootin ...

'', from which it can be distinguished by its green stem.

Subspecies

Named subspecies include: *''Primula clevelandii'' ssp. ''clevelandii –'' The autonymous subspecies. In

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

, it is found in the northwestern part of the state at low elevations from

Tijuana Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...

south to

El Rosario ''El rosario'' is a 1944 Mexican romantic drama film directed by Juan José Ortega. The film is based on a novel by Florence L. Barclay. It stars Andrea Palma, Tomás Perrín, and Tana Devodier Tana may refer to: Places Africa * Lake Tana, a ...

. *''Primula clevelandii'' ssp. ''gracilis –'' Known commonly as the island shooting star. Found on the

California Channel Islands The Channel Islands () are an eight-island archipelago located within the Southern California Bight in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California. They define the Santa Barbara Channel between the islands and the California mainland. The ...

and

Guadalupe Island Guadalupe Island () is a volcanic island located off the western coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and about southwest of the city of Ensenada in the state of Baja California, in the Pacific Ocean. The various volcanoes are extinc ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. *''Primula clevelandii'' ssp. ''insularis'' *''Primula clevelandii'' ssp. ''patula''

Distribution

The plant is native to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and Baja California. It is generally found in open

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

areas.

References

*"Wildflowers of Henry W. Coe State Park" brochure, Larry Ulrich, 2002

External links

Jepson eFlora Treatment of ''Primula clevelandii''Calflora Database: ''Dodecatheon clevelandii'' (padre's shooting star)Jepson Manual Treatment - ''Dodecatheon clevelandii''USDA Plants Profile for ''Dodecatheon clevelandii'' (padre's shooting star)''Dodecatheon clevelandii'' — Photo gallery
clevelandii Flora of California Flora of Baja California Flora of Guadalupe Island Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Natural history of the San Francisco Bay Area Natural history of the Santa Monica Mountains Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Taxa named by Edward Lee Greene Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Primulaceae-stub