''Amsonia hubrichtii'', commonly known as Hubricht's bluestar, Arkansas bluestar, or thread-leaf bluestar, is a North American species of

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the

Apocynaceae Apocynaceae (, from '' Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison. Notable mem ...

(dogbane) family, first described in 1943. It is native to

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

and

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

in the south-central

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref>Biota of North America Program 2013 county distribution map
/ref> It is commonly used as an ornamental plant.

Description

''A. hubrechtii'' grows high with upright stems that form bushy clumps. Leaves are very narrow, numerous, and alternate, giving the plant a feathery appearance. In the spring the leaves are bright green, and they turn gold in the fall. The flowers, borne in clusters at the end of each stem in the spring, are a powdery blue color and across. The flowers have 5 petals and fade to white with warmer temperatures.

Distribution and habitat

The plant is known from a limited number of populations in Oklahoma and Arkansas, primarily within the

Ouachita Mountains The Ouachita Mountains (), simply referred to as the Ouachitas, are a mountain range in western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. They are formed by a thick succession of highly deformed Paleozoic strata constituting the Ouachita Fold and Thru ...

Natural Division. In Oklahoma, it is considered an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

. It grows well in poor soils and full to partial sun.

Gallery

Image:Blue Star Amsonia hubrichtii Stem 3264px.jpg Image:Blue Star Amsonia hubrichtii Leaf Closeup 3264px.jpg

References

External links

photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Missouri in 1940
* hubrichtii Flora of Arkansas Flora of Oklahoma Plants described in 1943 {{Apocynaceae-stub