The Shooting Star is similar to the Cyclamen, having flowers in umbels and petals which are reflected backward. The flowering stems grow to 12 inches tall, and the flowers are from 1/2 to 1 inch long. Careful examination of this striking flower with a hand lens, will reveal that the stamens are opposite the corolla lobes, a feature quite different from most families. The slimpod Shooting Star is commonly a plant of the sagebrush plain or the moist mountain meadow. The several western species are difficult to separate. Flowering may begin in early June in the valleys. {Plants of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks by Richard J. Shaw pg 116}