Dodecatheon pauciflorum var. exquisitum J.F.Macbr. & Payson
Dodecatheon reflexum Salisb.
Dodecatheon serratum Raf.
Dodecatheon stanfieldii Small
Dodecatheon triflorum Raf.
Dodecatheon undatum Raf.
Dodecatheon uniflorum Raf.
Meadia crenata (Raf.) Kuntze
Meadia dodecathea Crantz
Meadia dodecatheon Mill.
Primula meadia (syn. Dodecatheon meadia), known by the common names shooting star, eastern shooting star, American cowslip, roosterheads, and prairie pointers[3][4] is a species of flowering plant in the primrose family Primulaceae. It is native to the eastern United States and Canada, spanning north from Manitoba and New York, south to Texas and Florida.[5][6]
It has a wide natural habitat, being found in both forests and prairies. It is most often found in calcareous areas.[5][7] It can be locally common in some areas of its range, however, it can become rare on its geographic edges.[5]
Primula meadia is a perennial, growing to 8–20 in (203–508 mm) high, with flowers that emerge from a basal rosette of leaves (scapose). It blooms in the spring. The flowers are nodding, and form an umbel. Its seeds are dispersed by gusts of wind that shake the erect scapes.[8]
This species is geographically widespread, and has considerable morphological variation across its range. Most southern population have white petals, while northern populations have white to pink, lavender, or magenta petals.[5][9]
Pink-flowered
In southeastern regions, petals are typically white
^"Dodecatheon meadia". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
^Weakley, Alan S. (2018), Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States, working draft of 20 August 2018, University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill