''Primula conjugens'',

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

''Dodecatheon conjugens'',Jepson eFlora: ''Primula conjugens''
. accessed 12.8.2016.Calflora: ''Primula conjugens''
. accessed 12.8.2016. is a species of flowering

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

in the primrose family, known by the common name Bonneville shooting star.

Description

''Primula conjugens'' is a thick-rooted perennial with narrow oval-shaped leaves around the base. It erects slim, tall stems which are dark in color and are topped with

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

s of one to seven showy flowers. The bloom period is April to July. Each flower nods with its mouth pointed to the ground when new, and becomes more erect with age. It has five reflexed

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s in shades of magenta (or, rarely, white) which lie back against the body of the flower. At the base of the sepals is a ring of bright yellow. From the corolla mouth protrude large dark red or black

anthers The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

surrounding a threadlike pink stigma. The fruit is circumscissile. The plant is of special value to native bumble bee species. Historically, it was consumed by Native Americans, and may still suffice to prevent starvation.

Distribution and habitat

The perennial wildflower is native to western North America from northeastern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, the

Great Basin The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic basin, endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja California ...

, and

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

; east to

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

and

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

(U.S.) and across

western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Information Network−NPIN.org: ''Dodecatheon conjugens'' (Bonneville shootingstar)
/ref> It grows in seasonally wet areas of habitats including: sagebrush steppe and

sagebrush scrub Sagebrush scrub is a vegetation type (biome) of mid to high elevation Western United States deserts characterized by low growing, drought resistant shrubs including sagebrush (''Artemisia tridentata'') and its associates.Karen Wiese, Sierra Nevada ...

yellow pine forest Ponderosa pine forest is a plant association and plant community dominated by ponderosa pine and found in western North America. It is found from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast Ranges in the Western United States and Western Canada. In ...

, wetland- riparian zones, and moist slopes and meadows of mountains. It is found at elevations of .

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile for ''Dodecatheon conjugens'' (Bonneville shootingstar)

UC CalPhotos gallery
conjugens Flora of California Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of Western Canada Flora of the Cascade Range Flora of the Great Basin Flora of Nevada Taxa named by Edward Lee Greene Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Primulaceae-stub