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Primula pauciflora

Primulaceae

Few-Flowered Shooting Star

Primula pauciflora
Erect stem, upright spreading leaves. Plant hairless. Leaves oval to egg-shaped, often with some fine teeth, 2–10 in. long, entire, narrowing gradually to petiole. Flowers 2–15 atop stem. Flower with 5 of all parts; petals 1/4–1/2 in. long Few-flowered shooting star, pretty shooting star, magenta to lavender with large white spot near base, dark ring at base; tube yellow where joined, purple-black near tip. Grows along streambanks, waterfalls, wet meadows, seeps, sometimes in salt water near coast, at low to high elevations. Subsp. pulchellum is hairless throughout. Subsp. cusickii has fine, slightly sticky glands on surfaces of stems and leaves.

  • Rarity: Common
  • Flowering Time: Mid Spring
  • Flower Form: 4-5 petals, Shooting Stars
  • Life Cycle: Perennial
  • Height: 6–20 inches
  • Habitat: Alpine, Bog/Fen/Wetland, Coastal, Meadow, Subalpine, Vernal Wet
  • Found In: N Cascades NP, Steens, Wallowas, West Gorge
  • Native: Yes
  • Also Known As: Pretty Shooting Star
  • Latin Synonyms: Dodecatheon pulchellum

Map of where Primula pauciflora is found