''Primula poetica'',

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

''Dodecatheon poeticum'', is commonly known as the poet's shooting star or the narcissus shooting star. ''P. poetica'' is a species of the genus ''

Primula ''Primula'' () is a genus of herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plants in the family (biology), family Primulaceae. They include the primrose (''Primula vulgaris, P. vulgaris''), a familiar wildflower of banks and verges. Other common specie ...

'' placed in section ''Dodecatheon''. It is native to the states of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

in western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. The section contains

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

flowering plants and is also a part of the primrose family

Primulaceae The Primulaceae ( ), commonly known as the primrose family (but not related to the Onagraceae, evening primrose family), are a family (biology), family of Herbaceous plant, herbaceous and woody flowering plants including some favourite garden pla ...

. This plant has basal clumps of leaves and drooping flowers that occur at the apex of tall stems that rise from where the leaves join.

Description

''Primula poetica'' has erect stems and leaves. It arises from a root with many

fibrous Fiber (spelled fibre in British English; from ) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often inco ...

fibers which become fleshy during flowering time. All the flower parts above ground except the corolla are glandular and are covered by fine short hairs. The leaves are grouped in alternate, opposite or whorled distributions. The leaves are entire to lobed in shape and are 5 to 12 centimeters in length. The leaves vary from narrowly egg shaped with the widest section below the middle to narrowly lance shaped. The leaf margins on ''P. poetica'' are more finely toothed than on '' Primula latiloba'' (syn. ''Dodecatheon dentatum''). ''P. poetica'' has petioles that are about the same length as the leaves or shorter. The

petals Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''coroll ...

are unusual and curved often in bright hues of pink to lavender. The corolla is five lobed similar to ''P. latiloba'' while many other species of in ''P.'' sect. ''Dodecatheon'' only contain four. The flower, composed of both

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s and

pistil Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl (botany), whorl of a flower; it consists ...

s is deep purple. The corolla is yellow in color at the base and dark purple at the top. The flowers droop slightly. As the plant continues to age and eventually die, the seed capsules turn completely erect, ripen and discharge their seeds for new plants during the next growing season. Dodecatheon_poeticum_8068.JPG, The leaves and

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

are glandular and covered by fine short hairs Dodecatheon_poeticum_8067.JPG, The rugose connective of the

s is not present in the otherwise similar '' Primula pauciflora'' var. ''cusickii''

Taxonomy

The species was first described as ''Dodecatheon poeticum'' by Louis F. Henderson of the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

in 1930. The discovery of this flower was made shortly after the discovery and identification of another plant then placed in the same genus, '' Primula latiloba'' (then ''Dodecatheon dentatum''). During the initial description of the white colored ''P. latiloba'', botanists must have overlooked the purple pink ''P. poetica''. Unlike the other species, information regarding ''P. poetica'' was rare and many botanists claimed texts describing the diversity of flora in northwestern

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

rarely mentioned its abundance. Due to recent research and classification efforts, ''P. poetica'' now has volumes of information regarding its features and is commonly found in nature and nurseries alike.

Distribution

''Primula poetica'' is mainly found in the Northwestern region of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

mainly in the arid transition zone in

and

. Compared to other members of its genus, ''P. poetica'' is found in more open, sunny areas and in drier woodlands. Occasionally it is found under the shade of

Ponderosa pine ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine, is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is t ...

s but is more commonly found in open meadows with ample sunshine. In addition, this plant is also found widely distributed along

petroleum seep A petroleum seep is a place where natural liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons escape to the Earth's atmosphere and surface, normally under low pressure or flow. Seeps generally occur above either natural terrestrial or underwater petroleum accumu ...

sites. These flowers flourish in areas that provide abundant springtime moisture followed by dry conditions in the summer. ''Primula poetica'' prefers to grow in a region where the soil is composed of rich

humus In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...

and fine sand that has been deposited by the winds through the

Columbia River Gorge The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the state ...

. They are typically found at an

altitude Altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum (geodesy), datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometr ...

of 0 to 1,677 meters.

Propagation

''Primula poetica'' blooms in a

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

manner. Meaning, as opposed to annual flowers which complete their lifecycle in just one growing season, perennial flowers grow for three or more years at a time. ''P. poetica'' first emerges in the springtime as a small, unassuming basal clump of oval, soft green leaves. After this growth a slender flower stalk rises from a few inches to over a foot above the foliage. This flower generally blooms from March to April, however in the region of the Columbia River Gorge the season can vary by as much as a month or more.

Pests and diseases

''Primula poetica'' is virtually pest and disease free. If grown properly, ''P. poetica'' will gradually spread and colonize from self-seeding.

Notes

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q55938001, from2=Q5287816 poetica Endemic flora of the United States Flora of Oregon Flora of Washington (state)