[Shooting Stars: The Genus Dodecatheon in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

Cusick's Shooting Star, Sticky Shooting Star

Dodecatheon cusickii

Synonyms: Dodecatheon cusickii var. cusickii, Dodecatheon pauciflorum var. cusickii, Dodecatheon pulchellum ssp. cusickii

Close-up of a flower of cusick's shooting star as seen on grassy hillsides just southwest of and about the same elevation of Ferry Springs, Deschutes River State Recreation Area.........April 24, 2005. Note the sticky glands on the pedicel.

Photo at right of sticky shooting star, along SR-14 in Washington, across from Biggs, OR........April 5, 1997.

Characteristics:

Cusick's shooting star is an attractive grassland perennial. The leaves are in a basal rosette and the single flower stem arises from 15-35 cm in height. The herbage is densely glandular-pubescent, especially in the inflorescence. The leaves are ovoid with entire margins.

The floral parts are five with the stigma not enlarged and the filaments united at the base to form a yellow tube approximately 1.5-2.5 mm long. The anther connectives are smooth.

Habitat:

Sticky shooting star may be found on grasslands, sagebrush, or forested foothills within its range.

Range:

Sticky shooting star may be found from British Columbia south along the eastern edge of the Cascades to eastern Washington and Oregon and east to Idaho and Montana.

In the Columbia River Gorge, it may be found east of Wishram, WA at an altitude of 400'-600'.

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Sticky shooting stars blooming along the trail on the south side of Ferry Springs, Deschutes River State Recreation Area.....April 7, 2024.

The photo at left shows the basal leaves while the photo at right shows the inflorescence of sticky shooting star, along SR-14 in Washington, across from Biggs, OR........April 5, 1997.

Paul Slichter