North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Trientalis borealis

Trientalis borealis Raf.

maystar, northern starflower

Image ID: 25764
Image by: Fowler, Jim
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: TRBO2
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Trientalis borealis
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-12-01
SELECTED SYNONYM: Trientalis borealis

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: TRIEN
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Trientalis
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Starflower
GENUS SUMMARY:
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: USDA Plants

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: PRIMUL
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Primulaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: Ventenat 1799
FAMILY COMMON: Primrose Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: As broadly circumscribed to include Myrsinaceae and Samolaceae, cosmopolitan in distribution. Following the discovery that various herbaceous and largely temperate genera (Lysimachia [including Trientalis and Anagallis], Samolus, etc.) traditionally placed in Primulaceae actually were more closely related to the largely tropical and woody Myrsinaceae, various authors, including Källersjö, Bergqvist, & Anderberg (2000) and Martins, Oberprieler, & Hellwig (2003) proposed the transfer of Lysimachia, Anagallis, and Trientalis to Myrsinaceae and of Samolus to Theophrastaceae. APG III (2009) alternatively merges Samolaceae and Myrsinaceae into Primulaceae, and recognizes variation at the subfamilial and tribal ranks; this approach is followed here.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Cholewa in FNA (2009); Cholewa & Kelso in FNA (2009); Cholewa, Pipoly, and Ricketson in FNA (2009); Channell & Wood (1959); APG III (2009); Källersjö, Bergqvist, & Anderberg (2000); Martins, Oberprieler & Hellwig (2003); Anderberg in Kubitzki (2004); Ståhl in Kubitzki (2004), Ståhl & Anderberg in Kubitzki (2004). [including MYRSINACEAE and SAMOLACEAE]

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Erect perennial from a slender, creeping rhizome, found in northern hardwood forests and rich slope forests, often in second-growth areas.
STEMS: Stems unbranched, smooth.
LEAVES: Leaves 5-10 in a single whorl at top of stem, short-petiolate or sessile, lance-shaped, unequal, 1 1/2-4 in. long, minutely wavy-edged, glossy; 1-2 small, scale-like leaves may be alternate on mid-stem.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Flowers usually 1--2 on slender stalks from center of leaf whorl, white, Â¼--Â½ in. wide, consisting of 7 spreading, oval to lance-shaped, pointy-tipped petals and 7 stamens.
FRUITS: Fruit a rounded capsule.
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 3-10 in.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT:
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: May-Jun

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
			x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: White

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x					x					x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: High elevation, Moist forests
NATIVE RANGE:

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average, Moist/Wet
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: TRBO2
USDA Common Name: Starflower
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N), SPM (N)
Distribution: USA (CA, CT, DC, DE, GA, ID, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, TN, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV), CAN (AB, BC, LB, MB, NB, NF, NS, ON, PE, QC, SK, YT), FRA (SPM)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FAC				FAC	FAC		FAC	FAC

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

2018 Natural Heritage Program List of Rare Plant Species of North Carolina

NHP ID	S RANK	ROUNDED S RANK	G RANK	ROUNDED G RANK	STATE STATUS	FEDERAL STATUS
16077	S1	S1	G5	G5	E

This information is derived from the 2018 North Carolina Natural Heritage Program List of Rare Plant Species.

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Lysimachia borealis
COMMON NAME: Northern Starflower, Maystar
SYNONYMY: [= Y; = Trientalis borealis Rafinesque - FNA, Va; = T. borealis Rafinesque ssp. borealis - K; < T. borealis - C, F, G, Pa, W, WV]
PHENOLOGY: May-Jun.
HABITAT: Northern hardwood forests, rich slope forests, often in second-growth areas.
COMMENTS: This northern species, widespread in the mountains of VA, and known from a few locations in n. GA and ne. TN (Chester, Wofford, & Kral 1997), was first located in NC only in 1988 (Dellinger 1989). The attractive white corollas, usually with 7 petals united only at the very base, are open in the late spring and they drop intact – like fallen stars (Voss 1996). This species can be recognized by its terminal whorl of leaves (4-10 cm long), the one to several white flowers borne on terminal, slender pedicels, each flower typically with 7 petals (inconspicuously united at the bases), each petal acuminate. The plant is a white-flowered Lysimachia with only one whorl of leaves.
RANGE MAP: Lysimachia borealis.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Primulaceae Ventenat 1799 (Primrose Family)
SUMMARY: As broadly circumscribed to include Myrsinaceae and Samolaceae, cosmopolitan in distribution. Following the discovery that various herbaceous and largely temperate genera (Lysimachia [including Trientalis and Anagallis], Samolus, etc.) traditionally placed in Primulaceae actually were more closely related to the largely tropical and woody Myrsinaceae, various authors, including Källersjö, Bergqvist, & Anderberg (2000) and Martins, Oberprieler, & Hellwig (2003) proposed the transfer of Lysimachia, Anagallis, and Trientalis to Myrsinaceae and of Samolus to Theophrastaceae. APG III (2009) alternatively merges Samolaceae and Myrsinaceae into Primulaceae, and recognizes variation at the subfamilial and tribal ranks; this approach is followed here.
REFERENCE: Cholewa in FNA (2009); Cholewa & Kelso in FNA (2009); Cholewa, Pipoly, and Ricketson in FNA (2009); Channell & Wood (1959); APG III (2009); Källersjö, Bergqvist, & Anderberg (2000); Martins, Oberprieler & Hellwig (2003); Anderberg in Kubitzki (2004); Ståhl in Kubitzki (2004), Ståhl & Anderberg in Kubitzki (2004). [including MYRSINACEAE and SAMOLACEAE]

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Trientalis L. (Starflower)
SUMMARY:
REFERENCE: USDA Plants

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Trientalis borealis in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Trientalis borealis in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Trientalis borealis in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Trientalis borealis in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Trientalis borealis in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Trientalis borealis

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 25764 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 25764 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 25764 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)