Amsonia ciliata Walter. Sandhill Bluestar. Phen: Apr-May; Sep-Oct. Hab: Longleaf pine sandhills, other dry woodlands and openings. Dist: Se. NC south to c. peninsular FL, west to c. and s. AL; curiously disjunct in the Ozark-Ouachita highlands of sc. MO, w. AR, and se. OK; material from sc. and w. OK and TX sometimes included in A. ciliata is here considered a separate species, A. texana (A. Gray) Heller.

Origin/Endemic status: Endemic

Taxonomy Comments: Two varieties have been traditionally recognized since the monograph of Woodson (1928), var. ciliata (leaves strongly heteromorphic, the lower leaves lanceolate, 4-10 mm wide (mostly 4-15× as long as wide), the upper about 1 mm wide; inflorescence barely held above the foliage) and var. tenuifolia (leaves slightly or not at all heteromorphic, the lower leaves linear, 1-3 mm wide (mostly 15-30× as long as wide), the upper < 1 mm wide; inflorescence usually held well above the foliage). They do not seem to be clearly separable morphologically, and their distributions are very largely overlapping, suggesting that they are merely forms.

Synonymy: = C, Fl5, RAB, WH3; < Amsonia ciliata Walter – K3, K4, Ok; > Amsonia ciliata Walter var. ciliata – FNA14, K1, S, Woodson (1928), Woodson (1938); > Amsonia ciliata Walter var. filifolia Alph.Wood – F, FNA14, G, Mo2, S, Tx; >< Amsonia ciliata Walter var. filifolia Alph.Wood – Woodson (1938); > Amsonia ciliata Walter var. tenuifolia – Ar, K1, NcTx; >< Amsonia ciliata Walter var. tenuifolia – Woodson (1928)

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Heliophily: 8