Shooting Star (Dodecatheon jeffreyi)

Aliases:  Jeffrey's Shooting Star, Sierra Shooting Star

Family:  Primrose (Primulaceae)

If you round the corner of a trail to a see a meadow in front of you, and the meadow is such a vibrant pink that you have to dig out your welding goggles, chances are you've stumbled onto a colony of Shooting Star, one of the leading contributors to Yosemite meadow-beautification campaigns. Concentrated blooms of Shooting Star or its higher-elevation relative, Alpine Shooting Star (Dodecatheon alpinum), create eye-popping vistas that can make even otherwise pedestrian hikes like Lukens Lake memorable.

Blooms:  June - August

Dodecatheon jeffreyi etymology:  Dodecatheon is the Greek word for the Twelve Olympians, the boss gods of Greek mythology who lorded over the world from atop Mount Olympus. Why this is the label for a flower genus is a matter known only to the ancient Romans responsible for the name. Possibly twelve is how many amphoras of wine the botanical society drank before they came up with the moniker.

Jeffreyi is a tribute to John Jeffrey (1826 - 1854?), a Scottish botanist who spent four years exploring the American west and discovered several new plant species, including this one and the Jeffrey Pine, before disappearing in 1854.

This Photo:  In Wawona Meadow, June 7, 2009