Common name:
Palmer's bluestar
Family:
Scientific name:
Amsonia palmeri
Main flower color:
Range:
Arizona, southwest New Mexico and far west Texas
Height:
Up to 2 feet
Habitat:
Washes, rocky slopes, grassland, streambanks, woodland, from 2,000 to 6,200 feet
Leaves:
Linear to narrowly lanceolate, up to 3 inches long and 0.7 inches across; glabrous to sparsely hairy
Season:
March to May
Amsonia palmeri is most widespread in Arizona, occurring in a broad band from the northwest to the southeast; it is also found in scattered places in southwest New Mexico, and along the Rio Grande in west Texas.
Stems branch a few times, mostly above the midpoint; they may be hairless, or pubescent. Leaves are somewhat variable in shape and hairiness, often on the same plant; they may be linear, oblong or narrowly lanceolate, with entire margins, sometimes wavy; they too may be hairless, or sparsely to moderately hairy.
The five, mostly fused, greenish-purple sepals are narrowly triangular, tapering to a sharp point. The corolla tube is similarly colored, while the five lobes are pale blue to white. The corolla is hairless, and is widest just below the tip, then slightly constricted above.
Stems branch a few times, mostly above the midpoint; they may be hairless, or pubescent. Leaves are somewhat variable in shape and hairiness, often on the same plant; they may be linear, oblong or narrowly lanceolate, with entire margins, sometimes wavy; they too may be hairless, or sparsely to moderately hairy.
The five, mostly fused, greenish-purple sepals are narrowly triangular, tapering to a sharp point. The corolla tube is similarly colored, while the five lobes are pale blue to white. The corolla is hairless, and is widest just below the tip, then slightly constricted above.
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