(c) 2011 Patty Hankins
Last spring I discovered a beautiful light blue wildflower growing in Tennessee. With a little research, I learned that it Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana), a member of the Dogbane (Apocynaceae) family. I photographed the Eastern Bluestar at Reflection Riding Arboretum and Chicamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, both in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
(c) 2011 Patty Hankins
Eastern Bluestar is a perennial that grows up to 3 feet tall with multi-stemmed clumps of blue flowers. The flowers are tubular at the base, flaring out into a five petaled star. Each flower is less than an inch across.
Also known as Willow Amsonia, Blue Dogbane, and Woodland Bluestar, Eastern Bluestar is native to much of the southern and eastern United States, growing as far west as Texas and as far north as New York. It is listed as threatened in Kentucky and of special concern in Tennessee.
(c) 2011 Patty Hankins
Eastern Bluestar thrives in many home gardens as a low-maintenance plant that prefers full sun to partial shade. In the spring, it has lovely blue blossoms, in the fall turn golden yellow. It is hardy from zones 3 through 9.
The genus Amsonia is named after a 17th century physician, Dr Amson of Gloucester, Virgina. The species is named in honor of Jakobus Theodorus Tabernaemontanus, a 16th-century German herbalist.
(c) 2011 Patty Hankins
Like many members of the Apocynaceae family, Eastern Bluestar contains chemicals that can skin irritations. Eastern Bluestar tends to be only mildly irritating, while other members of the family have been used as everything from medicines to poisons.
If you’d like more information about Eastern Bluestar, you may want to visit the following sites
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center