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Primula pauciflora
Also called Darkthroat Shootingstar, Southern Shootingstar
A small, variable North American wildflower (a species complex) with clusters of magenta to lavender nodding flowers on bare stems, often found in dry, desert-edge habitats. It grows best in moist but well-drained soil in partial or full shade, as in a woodland setting.
Primula pauciflora, the pretty shooting star, few-flowered shooting star, dark throat shooting star or prairie shooting star, is a species of flowering plant in the primula family Primulaceae. It is a widespread and very variable species, native to western North America, from Subarctic America to Mexico, often in xeric (extremely dry) and desert habitats. It is found in the Great Basin Deserts and Mojave Desert. Its synonyms include Dodecatheon pauciflorum and Dodecatheon pulchellum.
Under the name Dodecatheon pulchellum, the plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. If not provided adequate moisture in the growing season they will die back to the roots, but will return in the next year. In cultivation it is hardy down to −15 °C (5 °F), but prefers a sheltered location in partial or full shade with neutral or acid soil, such as a woodland setting. Though they need moisture, the pretty shooting-star also requires good drainage, not a boggy or riparian situation. When grown in good conditions the crown will become much larger with multiple blooming stems. Larger plants can be successfully divided for propagation in the late fall.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Primula pauciflora by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
