Lithophragma parviflorum

Common Names

Smallflower Woodland Star, Prairie Star, Woodland Star

Summary

Small-flower woodland-star is a rhizomatous perennial herb native to western North America from British Columbia to California and east to South Dakota and Nebraska. It grows erect to leaning stems 10–50 cm tall with basal leaves deeply divided into three lobes or leaflets, and a raceme carrying 4–12 flowers with white to pinkish petals usually divided into three lobes; the calyx is obconic and 4–6 mm long, and the fruit is a capsule with three beaks. Bloom occurs from March to June, and the plant forms patches via the rhizome; two subspecies are recognized, var. parviflorum and var. trifoliatum, with trifoliatum noted for pink, fragrant flowers in some treatments.

Cultivation and practical considerations: natural habitats include prairies, meadows, sagebrush deserts, forest openings, and rocky slopes, with a preference for full sun to mostly sunny conditions and dry, gravelly soils. It is a rhizomatous perennial that can be grown from seed (fall sowing with cold stratification) or from potted plants, and it is not considered at risk. Pollination can involve apomixis as well as visitors such as bumblebees, bees, and flies, and the plant tolerates low to mid elevations across its western range.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

4-12 inches

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun.

Soil Type

Dry, rocky, gravelly soil

Soil Drainage

Dry, gravelly, well-drained soils

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Time

Spring to Summer

Foliage Color

White

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts moths