PLANT of the MONTH   ~~   MARCH, 2008
updated on or about the 1st of each month

SHOOTING STAR Common Name(s): Shooting Star, Padres' Shooting Star Scientific Name: Dodecatheon clevelandii Family: Primulaceae, Primrose family Plant Type: Perennial herb Size: less than 2 feet high, solitary plant Common Habitat: open grassy areas, rocky meadows and outcroppings, sage scrub, chaparral

The flowers of Shooting Stars are quite dynamic-looking, resembling a wasp or a bird with purple wings. They are each about an inch in diameter, and have 5 petals which range in color from white to pink to lavendar to magenta, but start out yellow at the base. Most often the magenta-and-white beak-like stamens point downwards and petals point upwards, but some can also be found orienting the opposite. The plant blooms from February to April.

Shooting Star starts in early winter as a rosette of leaves, about a foot in diameter, growing close to the ground. The leaves are each about 3 inches long and spade-shaped. A solitary, sturdy, slightly hairy stalk arises from the leafy base and grows from a few inches to about a foot or more high. Near the top the stem branches to carry several-to-many nodding flowers. The plant commonly appears in moist soil in open places like meadows or other open spots alongside trails. The leaves die out in the heat of summer.

Dodecatheon means "12 gods". There is some debate whether this is a reference to it being a powerful medicine under the care of the 12 Olympian gods, or perhaps the possibility of having 12 flowers to represent these gods. Clevelandii refers to Daniel Cleveland, a lawyer, botanical collector, author, and founding member of the San Diego Natural History Society.

The photos on this page were taken on February 23, 2008, in a rocky meadow along the Mishe Mokwa / Sandstone Peak Trail, between Tri-Peaks and Split Rock.

Contributed by Liz Baumann

ARCHIVES of past Plants of the Month:
February 2008: Eucrypta (Eucrypta chrysanthemifolia)
January 2008: Manzanita (Arctostaphylos glandulosa, Arctostaphylos glauca)
December 2007: Fire's Impact on Plants of the Santa Monicas - Volume 1
November 2007: California Aster (Lessingia filaginifolia, Corethrogyne filaginifolia)
October 2007: Turkey Mullein (Eremocarpus setigerus)
September 2007: Wild Heliotrope (Heliotropium curassavicum)
August 2007: California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum)
July 2007: Calabazilla (Cucurbita foetidissima)
June 2007: Speckled Clarkia (Clarkia cylindrica)
May 2007: Prickly Poppy (Argemone munita)
April 2007: Wild Cucumber (Marah macrocarpus)
March 2007: Large-Flowered Phacelia (Phacelia grandiflora)
February 2007: Chaparral Currant (Ribes malvaceum)
January 2007: Tree Tobacco (Nicotiana glauca)
December 2006: Poison Oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum)
November 2006: Sycamore (Platanus racemosa)
October 2006: Cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium)
September 2006: Vinegar Weed (Trichostema Lanceolatum)
August 2006: Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia)
July 2006: Woolly Blue Curls (Trichostema lanatum)
June 2006: Yucca (Yucca whipplei)
May 2006: Monkey Flower (Mimulus Species)
April 2006: Lupine (Lupinus Species)
March 2006: Ceanothus (Ceanothus Species)
February 2006: Wild Peony (Paeonia californica)
January 2006: Purple Nightshade (Solanum xanti)
December 2005: Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)

REFERENCES:
Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains, by Milt McAuley - link to Amazon.com
Flowering Plants: The Santa Monica Mountains, Coastal and Chaparral Regions of Southern California, by Nancy Dale - link to Amazon.com
Roadside Plants of Southern California, by Thomas J. Belzer - link to Amazon.com
California Native Plants for the Garden, by Carol Bornstein, David Fross, and Bart O'Brien - link to Amazon.com
California Herbal Remedies, by LoLo Westrich - link to Amazon.com