Amsonia ciliata var. filifolia

Species Native to Missouri
Common Name: blue star 
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Apocynaceae
Native Range: Southeastern United States
Zone: 5 to 9
Height: 0.50 to 1.00 feet
Spread: 0.50 to 0.75 feet
Bloom Time: May
Bloom Description: Powder blue
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Leaf: Good Fall
Attracts: Butterflies
Tolerate: Deer

Culture

Easily grown in average, moderate to medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Prefers regular moisture, but tolerates dry soils. Best performance usually occurs in full sun, but plants also grow well in areas with some light afternoon shade.

Noteworthy Characteristics

Amsonia ciliata, commonly called fringed blue star or downy blue star, is a clump-forming perennial that is native from North Carolina to Florida west to Missouri, Arkansas and Texas. It is generally found in sandy soils. It typically grows to 2-3’ tall. Terminal clusters of star-like, light blue flowers bloom in mid spring (May) atop generally erect stems clad with narrowly elliptic to nearly linear, green leaves. The leaves tend to have fine hairs along their margins. Foliage turns attractive shades of yellow in fall.

Var. filifolia is native from southern Missouri to Florida and Texas into Mexico. It is most often found growing in sandy areas and along rocky shores. In southern Missouri, it is typically found in limestone glades, bald knobs and limestone bluff escarpments along streams in two counties in the area of the White River. This variety is distinguished from the species mainly by its narrower, linear foliage with margins that tend to be strongly revolute (rolled downward towards the underside).

Genus name honors Dr. John Amson (1698-1765?), an English physician and amateur botanist who lived and worked in Williamsburg, Virginia during the colonial period.

The specific epithet ciliata refers the fine hairs along the leaf margins. The infraspecific epithet filifolia means having thread-like leaves (narrower than those of the species).

Problems

No known serious insect or disease problems.

Uses

Border fronts, rock gardens or open woodland areas.