Primulaceae

Primrose Family

Shootingstars

FAMILY: Primrose family (Primulaceae) – Dodecatheon genus or subsection. Note that this genus is sometimes considered to be a subsection of the Primula genus.

SPECIES: #1 alpine shootingstar (Dodecatheon alpinum (A. Gray) Greene = Primula tetrandra (Suksd. ex Greene) A. R. Mast & Reveal). #2 western or dark-throated shootingstar (Dodecatheon pulchellum (Raf.) Merr. = Primula pauciflora var. pauciflora (Greene) A. R. Mast & Reveal).

TO UTILIZE AS FOOD: Warning! Shootingstars contain toxic saponins that are capable of causing severe digestive problems and cellular damage.

All parts of both species listed above are reported to be edible. The leaves of both species can allegedly be added to salads or used as potherbs. Either way, they taste terribly unappealing. When eaten fresh, the texture is tender, and the flavor is comparable to endive lettuce with an acrid overtone. Boiling fails to eliminate the acrid overtone and makes things worse by highlighting the soapy texture. Even after multiple changes of cooking water, the leaves remain acrid. Alpine and dark-throated shootingstar bloom anytime from late spring to about midsummer. They’re easy to identify, but consumption is not recommended due to their acrid nature.

NOTES: Members of the “primrose family” are generally inedible. This family is not the same as the “evening primrose family.” In fact, it’s very different despite the similar-sounding name. Mosquito bills (Dodecatheon hendersonii = Primula hendersonii), primarily of California, is considered to be the best species. In addition to having edible leaves, it has edible roots (Campbell p. 68). It’s an uncommon species that was once gathered by Native Americans in parts of California, but it’s otherwise absent from the Southwest. Based on the species I sampled (D. alpinum and D. pulchellum), shootingstars are best left alone. However, plant expert Francois Couplan (pp. 197-198) describes the leaves of most species as among the best salad ingredients to be found. Ray Vizgirdas (p. 152) also describes them favorably and indicates that no species are reported to be poisonous. It’s my belief that shootingstars are much less suitable for consumption than some authors have indicated, but finding a few palatable colonies would promptly change this belief. It’s also possible that the plants I sampled were just unusually acrid, or that some species are better than others, or that growing conditions affect leaf quality. Most of my samples were from colonies growing in ideal conditions on the Aquarius Plateau of central Utah, the White Mountains of eastern Arizona, or the Jemez Mountains of north-central New Mexico. Samples were selected from plants in bloom and from plants before they bloomed. At the time, I was unaware that the roots were edible, so I never tried the roots. Shootingstars are successful plants of moist mountain meadows. Very little has been written about them in ethnobotanical literature, and a lack of such information is generally a warning sign. Shootingstars are worth trying, but I would approach them with caution.

IDENTIFICATION: The Dodecatheon genus or subsection is represented by about 15 species in the United States, of which only 4 are likely to be encountered in the Southwest. This genus is sometimes considered to be a subsection of the Primula genus. In any case, the flowers alone are enough to identify the various species.

Description of shootingstars (the Dodecatheon genus): FORM stemless, perennial plants about 8-45 cm tall emerging from fibrous roots or rhizomes; LEAVES simple; basal; sessile or long-stalked; blades oblance-, spoon- or heart-shaped; margins smooth, wavy, or toothed; surfaces hairless or glandular-haired; FLOWERS regular, perfect, ovary superior, and arranged in umbels terminating long stalks; pedicels recurved; calyces 4-5-lobed; corollas 4-5-long-lobed, white to pinkish-purple, often with yellow highlights, and strongly reflexed; styles 1; stigmas 1, often head-like; stamens 5, exserted, and converging around the styles; filaments free or fused into tubes; FRUITS capsules ovoid, 1-celled, and many-seeded; HABITAT moist mountain meadows; throughout most of the West; blooming March to August.

REFERENCES: Couplan (pp. 197-198) suggests that the leaves and flowers of most species are edible. Kirk (p. 195) indicates that no species are reported to be poisonous and all species may be edible. #1 alpine shootingstar (Dodecatheon alpinum): all parts Tilford (p. 136). #2 dark-throated shootingstar (Dodecatheon pulchellum): all parts Tilford (p. 136).