Etymology
Lysimachia is from the Greek for King Lysimachus or from the Latin meaning loosestrife – lysis meaning “a release from” and mache for “strife“; borealis is from Latin for boreal, which means northern.
Native Habitat
Moist woodlands.
Garden Uses
Starflower is a delicate herbaceous perennial well suited to woodland gardens or shade gardens. It will tolerate dry shade under large conifers.
Overview
Starflower is an herbaceous perennial woodland flower. It grows from creeping rhizomes and tends to form colonies. It is a small delicate flower that only lasts for a few days, although the colony may bloom for weeks.
Leaves and Stems
Stems arise from creeping rhizomes and bear 5 to 9 leaves (commonly 7) of unequal size in a single whorl at the top of the main stem, just below the flowers. Leaves are up to 4 inches long and 1¼ inch wide, toothless and hairless, with a pointed tip. They taper at the base.
Flowers
Star-shaped white flowers develop at the end of a slender naked stalk that arises from the whorl of leaves at the top of the stem. Individual flowers are ½ inch across, have 6 to 8 petals, with 7 petals most common, and yellow-tipped stamens that turn brown with maturity. One plant commonly has 1 or 2 flowers.
Fruit/Seed
The fruit is a globose 5-valved fruit which changes from green to whitish. The seed capsule splits open when the tiny seeds are ripe.
Animal Associates
The eastern chipmunk reportedly consumes some of the seeds or capsules of starflower, but this does not constitute a significant portion of its diet. Bees and flies feed on pollen from the starflower.
Propagation
Plants spread vegetatively via creeping rhizomes.
Garden Location
North Woods (see garden map)
Anecdotal Information
King Lysimachus was walking through a field and was being chased by a bull. He grabbed a loosestrife plant, waved it in front of the bull and it calmed the bull. The generic name refers to a supposed power to soothe animals or "loose" them of their "strife". This plant was until recently named Trientalis borealis.
Sources
Friends of the Wildflower Garden
Washington Native Plant Society
Plant Profile by Kathy Kling