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Notes: Eloise Butler's records show that she first introduced this plant to the Garden on April 14, 1910 with three plants she obtained from Jewell's Nursery in Lake City, MN. She put in more on April 2, 1912, plants obtained from Gillett's Nursery in Southwick, MA. She also obtained plants of this species on Sept. 3, 1926 from Robbins' Nursery in Ashford, NC. This plant was listed on Martha Crone's 1951 inventory of plants in the Garden at that time.

Rare: Native populations in Minnesota are known only in Mower County, so outside of protected areas like Eloise Butler, the plant is rare. It is listed on the Minnesota "endangered" list by The Department of Natural Resources. Per the DNR "A species is considered endangered if the species is threatened with extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range within Minnesota." Another species listed as more prevalent in Minnesota is Dodecatheon radicatum Greene var. radicatum, (Jeweled shooting star; Dark-throat shooting star) which is specified in some books (Such as Gerald Ownbey's) as native to Minnesota in the SE section of the state. D. radicatum has flowers that are deep rose-purple and rarely white. While rare in the wild environment of Minnesota, Dodecatheon meadia is readily available from nurseries and plant specialists that grow native plants. It will do well in sunny spots of the home garden where the soils are well drained.