Amsonia tabernaemontana Walter var. salicifolia (Pursh) Woodson
Bluestar, blue dogbane, blue star flower, eastern bluestar
Bluestar is native to the central United States.
Plants: Perennial, 1–3′ (30–91 cm), forming large clumps with many branches. Stems are light green, smoothly cylindrical, and hairless.
Leaves: This variety has narrower, willow-like lanceolate leaves. They are bright green above, pale below, 2–4″ (5–10 cm) long. Leaves have a petiole (stem) up to 1″ (2.5 cm) long.
Flowers: In compact, rounded panicles. Each flower is tubular, opening to a star of five narrow pointed light blue petals ½–¾″ (1.3–1.9 cm) around. Flower centers are pale yellow. They appear in May.
Fruits: Cylindrical seed pods are 3–4½″ (8–12 cm) long, containing hard, black seeds. Pods are curved and sharp-tipped.
Habitats: Rocky woodlands and ravines, stream borders, limestone glades, and moist sandy meadows. This variety has narrower, willow-like leaves.
Online References:
Illinois Wildflowers (Amsonia tabernaemontana)
Mastergardener.extension.wisc.edu (Amsonia tabernaemontana) (Great photos and info)
North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (Amsonia tabernaemontana)
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (Amsonia tabernaemontana)
Go Botany (Amsonia tabernaemontana)
References:
Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 14
Amsonia salicifolia Pursh
5/22/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 1 × 1½′ (41 × 53 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Gentianales | Gentians, coffee, gardenias, frangipani, many others |
| Family | Apocynaceae | Dogbane family |
| Genus | Amsonia | Bluestars; named for botanist Charles Amson |
| Species | tabernaemontana | For the 16th-century German herbalist Jakobus Theodorus Tabernaemontanus |
| var. | salicifolia | Salix (willow)-leaved |
Amsonia tabernaemontana var. salicifolia description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.