Dodecatheon hendersonii

Common Names

Henderson's Shooting Star, Broad-Leaved Shooting Star, Mosquito Bills, Foothill Shooting Star, Shooting Star, Californian Cyclamen, Sailor Caps

Summary

Henderson’s shooting star is a perennial herb native to western North America, from British Columbia to California, thriving in open woodlands, meadows, and grasslands. It forms a basal rosette of broad leaves with a naked flowering stem rising to about 5–16 inches, bearing nodding magenta-pink to white flowers with reflexed petals and a yellow base on the tube; blooms in spring and goes dormant in summer.

Cultivation requires well-drained soil and a dry summer period, with tolerance for partial shade to full sun and a preference for winter moisture followed by summer drought. Propagation is by seed with cold stratification or by division, and flowering from seed may take 3–5 years. It suits meadow and woodland garden settings, rock gardens, and underplanting, and attracts bees and other pollinators via buzz pollination.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

5-20 inches

Spread

4-19.5 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 7a-9b

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally partial shade, tolerates full sun.

Soil Type

Humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soil

Soil pH

Wide range of soil pH; tolerates acid, neutral, and alkaline soils

Bloom Color

Magenta to pink to purple to lavender to white, sometimes with yellow at the base

Bloom Time

Spring (February–June)

Foliage Color

Green

Fall Foliage Color

No fall foliage color

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Slow growth, takes 2–5 years to reach ultimate height and 3–5 years from seed to flowering, does not spread vigorously.

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division, Cuttings

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees (solitary bees and native bumblebees)