Eastern Bluestar

Amsonia tabernaemontana

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Hemaris diffinis (Snowberry Clearwing)
S14 host record USA; S10 Hummingbird moths (Hemaris spp.)

Proximity Score: 3a
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ❌ ON
Closest Direction: SW
CEC Eco-Regions: 8 – Eastern Temperate Forests, 8.3 – Southeastern USA Plains, 8.3.3 – Interior Plateau
Rarity Notes: Not ranked in Ontario or Quebec as the species is not native to Canada. NatureServe global rank is G5 (Secure), with a US national rank of N5. Not listed under SARA. Native range is the southeastern United States; any Canadian occurrences are cultivated or escaped.
S22 S26 S1
Migration: Disjunct
Ecological Context: Eastern bluestar is native to the southeastern United States, occurring in wet sandy sites in thin woods and on plains, rocky woodlands, shaded rocky ravines, gravelly seeps, stream borders, limestone glades, and moist sandy meadows. Its native range extends from Maryland and southeast Virginia south to Florida and east Texas, west infrequently to Kansas. The species is well outside its native range in the Ottawa-Gatineau region and is considered disjunct at this latitude.
S4 S10 S61

Roles: Fortress/Barrier, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: thorns? (supporting signal only)] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: No edible uses documented. The plant contains white milky latex and is described as distasteful and noxious. No ethnobotanical food records exist in the Moerman database.
S28 S4 S10