Northern starflower, arctic starflower • Trientalis europaea ssp. arctica, T. arctica.
Northern starflower on Calvert Island. Photos by ES470 student (above) and Sarein Basi-Primeau (right).
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Identification
The northern starflower is a delicate 5-25 cm tall perennial, with small white flowers that bloom in the late spring and early summer on the Central Coast. These flowers bloom individually or in groups of 2-3 at the top of the stem, in the centre of a terminal bunch of leaves. The bright white flowers, which may be tinged with pink, have 5-7 petals with pointed tips. The leaves have rounded tips and vary in shape from oval-elliptic to lance-shaped. The leaves grow along the length of the stem but are larger and more numerous near the top.
Habitat & Range
The northern or arctic starflower is found in wet habitats, including boggy forest, swamps, bogs, muskeg, and wet meadows from low to subalpine elevations. It is less common further south and at higher elevations. In North America, the species ranges north to Alaska, the Yukon and Northwest Territories, east to Alberta, and south to WA, OR, ID, and CA. It is also found in Greenland.
Similar Species
In BC, the broad-leaved starflower (Trientalis borealis ssp. latifolia) is quite similar to the northern starflower. There are three distinguishing factors between the two species: the northern starflower has several leaves on the stem, while the broad-leaved starflower does not; it has white flowers instead of the pale pink of the broad-leaved starflower; and it grows in wetter habitats, whereas the broad-leaved starflower grows in open forest, meadows, and thickets.
Intriguing Info
This species was formerly classified as Trientalis arctica, but is now known as T. europaea ssp. arctica. Others in the genus have also been reclassified, meaning information may be found under multiple names.
The northern starflower is a delicate 5-25 cm tall perennial, with small white flowers that bloom in the late spring and early summer on the Central Coast. These flowers bloom individually or in groups of 2-3 at the top of the stem, in the centre of a terminal bunch of leaves. The bright white flowers, which may be tinged with pink, have 5-7 petals with pointed tips. The leaves have rounded tips and vary in shape from oval-elliptic to lance-shaped. The leaves grow along the length of the stem but are larger and more numerous near the top.
Habitat & Range
The northern or arctic starflower is found in wet habitats, including boggy forest, swamps, bogs, muskeg, and wet meadows from low to subalpine elevations. It is less common further south and at higher elevations. In North America, the species ranges north to Alaska, the Yukon and Northwest Territories, east to Alberta, and south to WA, OR, ID, and CA. It is also found in Greenland.
Similar Species
In BC, the broad-leaved starflower (Trientalis borealis ssp. latifolia) is quite similar to the northern starflower. There are three distinguishing factors between the two species: the northern starflower has several leaves on the stem, while the broad-leaved starflower does not; it has white flowers instead of the pale pink of the broad-leaved starflower; and it grows in wetter habitats, whereas the broad-leaved starflower grows in open forest, meadows, and thickets.
Intriguing Info
This species was formerly classified as Trientalis arctica, but is now known as T. europaea ssp. arctica. Others in the genus have also been reclassified, meaning information may be found under multiple names.
References
Pojar, J. and MacKinnon, A. (2005). Plants of Coastal British Columbia, Revised. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine Publishing. P. 322.
Trientalis europaea L. ssp. arctica (Fisch. ex Hook.) Hultén. arctic starflower. Plants USDA Database. Accessed 23/04/2013.
Trientalis europaea subsp. arctica L. (Fisch. ex Hook.) Hulten. arctic starflower; northern starflower. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed on 23/04/2013.
Authors and editors of page
Chanda Brietzke, Kelly Fretwell, and Brian Starzomski (2016).
Pojar, J. and MacKinnon, A. (2005). Plants of Coastal British Columbia, Revised. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine Publishing. P. 322.
Trientalis europaea L. ssp. arctica (Fisch. ex Hook.) Hultén. arctic starflower. Plants USDA Database. Accessed 23/04/2013.
Trientalis europaea subsp. arctica L. (Fisch. ex Hook.) Hulten. arctic starflower; northern starflower. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed on 23/04/2013.
Authors and editors of page
Chanda Brietzke, Kelly Fretwell, and Brian Starzomski (2016).
