[Prairie Stars and Woodland Stars: The Genus Lithophragma in the Columbia
River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]
Small-flowered Prairie Star, Small-flowered Woodland-star
Lithophragma parviflorum var. parviflorum
Synonym: Lithophragma parviflora, Lithophragma parviflorum
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The photo at left shows the deeply 3-parted petals of small-flowered prairie star as seen at Catherine Creek in the Columbia River Gorge...........April 9, 2009.You can clearly see the calyx on the flower at right which tapers gradually to the pedicel.
The photo at right shows a close-up of the gradually tapered bases to the calyces of small-flowered prairie star as seen at Catherine Creek in the Columbia River Gorge..........April 9, 2009. The other prairie stars in the Gorge have rounded or cup-shaped bases to the calyces.
Characteristics:
Also known as small-flowered fringe-cup, small-flowered prairie
star is an attractive perennial with erect stems from 10-55 cm tall arising
from clusters of cleft basal leaves. The herbage is often densely glandular-pubescent
and commonly purple or reddish above. The basal leaves are moderately to abundantly
haired, especially on the lower surface. The petioles of the basal leaves are
1-8 cm long, with the blades 1-5 cm wide. The blades are cleft, often nearly
to the middle into 3-5 divisions which are further cleft into several smaller
divisions. The 1-3 stem leaves usually have narrower leaf segments, with the
upper leaf nearly sessile. The axils of all the leaves lack bulblets.
The inflorescence is at first crowded at the top of the stem,
but elongates into a raceme as much as 15 cm long and 5-11 flowered. The pedicels
are 2-8 mm long. The calyx, which is 7-12 mm long, is wide at its throat, but
tapers gradually to the stem (This is an easy way to distinguish it from other
northwest prairie stars (See photos at right and below.).) Each of the 5 calyx
lobes are up to 2 m long. The 5 petals are white to pink, usually slightly unequal,
and from 5-12 mm long. The individual petals are cleft 3-5 times, giving the
petals a tattered appearance. The middle lobe of each petal is the longest.
The stamens do not exceed the calyx.
Small-flowered prairie star is an interesting perennial wildflower
for the spring rock garden or prairie garden. It looks good amongst basalt rock
outcrops as well as bunchgrasses. It tends to bloom 2-3 weeks later than both
smooth and bulblet prairie star.
Habitat:
Small-flowered prairie star may be found on open, grassy to
sagebrush covered slopes, and in open, low altitude forests.
Range:
Small-flowered prairie star may be found from British Columbia
south along both sides of the Cascades to northern California. It may be found
eastward to Alberta, South Dakota, and Colorado.
In the Columbia River Gorge, it may be found between 100'-3000'
from near Crown Point in the west to the eastern end of the gorge.
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Close up images of the flowers of small-flowered prairie star as seen at the Lyle Cherry Orchard Trail......March 16, 2024. The image at left shows the deeply cleft, three-lobed petals while the image at right shows the long-tapered calyx tube, characteristic of this species in the Pacific Northwest.
Small-flowered prairie star as seen on rocky roadsides above the Crawford Oaks Trailhead, Columbia Hills Historical State Park..........April 1, 2024.
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Small-flowered prairie stars blooming on open slopes above the Crawford Oaks Trailhead at Columbia Hills Historical State Park.....March 24, 2022.
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The photo at left shows small-flowered prairie star as seen at Catherine Creek in the Columbia River Gorge..........April 9, 2009. The photo at right shows a close-up of the inflorescence of small-flowered prairie star as seen along the Lyle Cherry Orchard Trail.......March 16, 2017.
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Small-flowered prairie star as seen along the Cherry Orchard Trail about one mile east of Lyle, WA...........March 11, 2016.
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Close-up images of the inflorescence and a leaf of small-flowered prairie star as seen along the Cherry Orchard Trail about one-half mile east of Lyle, Washington........April 2, 2014.
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A close-up image of the inflorescence of small-flowered prairie star as seen at left along the Weldon Wagon Road about one and one-half miles east of Husum, WA.......April 19, 2018 . The photo at right shows a close-up of the 3-lobed petals of small-flowered prairie star as seen along trails at the Lyle-Cherry Orchard, just east of Lyle, WA......March 11, 2022.
Paul Slichter