Wildflowers

Starflower

(Lysimachia borealis)

Species Description

**Description:** A small woodland plant with a single whorl of 5 to 9 pointed leaves and one or two star-shaped white flowers.

**Size:** Grows 4 to 8 inches tall.

**Identification:** A "signature" plant of the northern hardwood forest floor. The white flowers appear to float above the leaves on extremely thin stalks.

**Life Cycle:** A spring ephemeral that blooms in May and disappears as the forest canopy fully closes.

**Habitat:** Common in cool, acidic soil of hemlock ravines and mixed forests.

💡 Fun Facts

They are "active hunters" that roam the leaves of forest shrubs at night, relying on their speed rather than a web to catch prey.
The Starflower is unusual because its flower parts almost always occur in sevens—seven petals, seven sepals, and seven stamens.
The plant produces very small, round seeds that are primarily dispersed by the wind once the seed capsule dries and splits open.
Starflowers are extremely sensitive to heat and will quickly go dormant if the forest floor becomes too warm or dry in the summer.