FNPS Plant Database

Amsonia ciliata

slimpod, fringed bluestar, blue dogbane

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Nomenclature

Common Name:

slimpod, fringed bluestar, blue dogbane

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Amsonia ciliata

Family:

Apocynaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

2-3 ft tall by 2-3 ft wide

Life Span:

short-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white, blue

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

Noted For:

Fall Color, Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Wildflower garden. Blooms late spring. Fall foliage color is orange-yellow.

Considerations:

Availability:

Seed

Propagation:

Grow from seed or division. Prune to 10 inches after flowering.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

--|----|----|----|--|---|----|--- <------------>

Not wet but not extremely dry ---to--- Somewhat long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

Suitable to Grow In:

8B, 9A

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Hummingbirds

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are attracted to the nectar. Avoided by mammalian herbivores.

Butterflies, Bees, Moths
The flowers attract long-tongued insects such as carpenter bees, hummingbird moths, and butterflies. Not known to be a larval plant for monarch butterflies.

Native Habitats:

Flatwoods, chalky hills

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

The blue tubular flower opens into 5 petal-like lobes with a white center. Several blossoms grow in a loose cluster. Narrow seed pods and dark yellow fall color make this an attractive garden plant.

Citations:

Huegel, Craig N. 2012. Native Wildflowers and Other Ground Covers for Florida Landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Martin, Susan. Blue in the Sun. 2019 (April). ( https://piedmontmastergardeners.org/article/blue-in-the-sun/ ) (lists pollinators) Accessed 2025. Piedmont Master Gardeners Newsletter, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Blacksburg.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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