Starflower, Lysimachia Latifolia

Day 243: If you don't have anything else on your agenda this afternoon, you might want to pick up a pencil or pen, and pull ALL of your field guides down from the shelf. You're going to be making some serious edits.

First off, Trientalis has been renamed. It is now Lysimachia. We have two species of Starflower in western Washington (Northern and Pacific, although Pacific may also be called Western, Broad-Leaved or Oval-Leaved), and here's where it gets sticky. We are concerned with Pacific Starflower shown above. You may find it listed under a potpourri of Latin nomenclature: Trientalis borealis, Trientalis borealis ssp. latifolia, Trientalis europaea var. latifolia. Not a one...I repeat, not a one of these species names is correct (and of course the genus should be changed to Lysimachia). The discrepancy led me to an exchange of emails with David Giblin of the Burke Herbarium, as often occurs when I have botanical mysteries of one sort or another. He, Arnie and I frequently engage in round-robin discussions. He was able to set the record straight: Lysimachia borealis (variety or subspecies aside) does not occur in the PNW, but Lysimachia latifolia (above, "the Lysimachia with broad leaves") does. At least it's shorter to remember.

Me And My Shadow

Day 212: It's easy to see how Pacific Starflower (Trientalis latifolia) got its common name. Often seen in moist lowland forests, Starflower prefers partial shade. When the sun does peek through the canopy and falls on its white or pinkish-white blossoms, they shine with stellar beauty. The flowers (one or two) are held aloft on thready stems arising from the center of whorled leaves, appearing almost detached from the plant itself. Curiously, although the flower usually has six points, the number of petals can vary from 5-7. The next time you're out and about in Starflower country, amuse yourself with a "four-leaf clover" hunt for blossoms with odd numbers of petals.