Perry's Perennial Pages, Perennial Arcade Quiz

Bluestars

Match the following species or cultivars of this genus (Amsonia) with a trait. Most are hardy to zone 5, like full sun, well-drained soil, and feature star-like flowers in clusters in early summer, nice shrub effect in summer with no significant problems, and golden leaves in fall. Check out the article on this site for clues to answers (see below for answers).

1. Perennial Plant of the Year for 2011, Ozark bluestar	a. hubrichtii
2. Dwarf bluestar, 2 feet or so high, about 3 feet wide	b. tabernaemontana
3. Eastern bluestar, leaves 5-10 times as long as wide	c. Downy and Ozark bluestars
4. Willow bluestar, probably the most common, hardy in zones 3-9, fruit pods held upright	d. 'Blue Ice'
5. Downy bluestar, fringe of soft hairs on young leaves and stems	e. 'Short Stack'
6. these grow well near water and in damp areas	f. illustris
7. those grow well in drier sites once established	g. Shining and Willow bluestars
8. Shining bluestar, shiny leaves, fruit pods hang down	h. ciliata
9. deep blue flowers, under 2 feet tall	i. tabernaemontana var. salicifolia
10. shortest, cultivar of Dwarf bluestar	j. montana

Answers:

1. a

2. j

3. i

4. b

5. h

6. g

7. c

8. f

9. d

10. e

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