SHOOTINGSTAR 



Dodecatheon meadia Linnaeus 



Shootingstar is not particular in choosing a habitat, for it is found 

 in open woods, on moist hillsides, or where the meadows broaden 

 into prairies. It belongs to the Primrose Family, and is distantly related 

 to the Asiatic cyclamen familiar in cultivation, being in fact some- 

 times called wild cyclamen. It thrives in rich garden soil, where the 

 flowers often become larger than in the wild state, and it should find 

 a place in our gardens. 



This species of shootingstar has a rather wide distribution, ranging 

 through the prairies, where the flowers are often red, from Texas to 

 Georgia, and northward into Manitoba; it also extends eastward 

 through the Appalachians, reaching the Piedmont from North Caro- 

 lina to Pennsylvania. The genus Dodecatheon is best represented in 

 the West, where many species occur. 



The specimen sketched was obtained near Washington, District of 

 Columbia. 



PLATE 49 



