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Sabatia campestris

meadow pink

Gentianaceae South-central United States

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies Container Friendly

Native to North America

SunFull Sun

WaterMedium

Overview

Sabatia campestris is an annual wildflower of the gentian family, growing 6-16 inches (15-40 cm) tall on slender, four-angled, branching stems. The opposite leaves are stalkless, ovate to lance-shaped, and 0.5-1 inch (1.5-2.5 cm) long, clasping the stem. From late spring into summer the stems carry upward-facing, five-petalled flowers 1-1.5 inches (2.5-4 cm) across, rose-pink with a yellow, red-edged star at the centre and a green calyx with narrow lobes. The flowers open in sequence over several weeks and close in dull weather. Native to the prairies and open ground of the south-central United States, S. campestris grows in moist meadows, fields, roadsides, and prairie swales on sandy or loamy soils. As an annual it completes its life cycle in one season, setting many small seeds in a capsule before dying. One limitation is that it needs open, sunny ground and disappears as taller perennials and grasses close over a site. Bees and butterflies visit the flowers for nectar. It is grown from seed for prairie and meadow plantings and appears in regional native wildflower mixes.

Native Range

Sabatia campestris is native to the south-central United States, from Texas and Oklahoma east to Mississippi and north into Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois. It grows in tallgrass prairie, moist meadows, and open disturbed ground, and has been recorded as an introduction in a few eastern states.

Suggested Uses

Sabatia campestris is grown in wildflower meadows, prairie restorations, and native plant borders. It suits naturalistic sunny plantings and seasonal cut flowers. It also establishes in moist swales and rain-garden margins where the soil stays open.

How to Identify

Identify it by the slender four-angled stems and clasping, stalkless opposite leaves. The rose-pink flowers 1-1.5 inches (2.5-4 cm) wide have five petals and a yellow, red-rimmed centre. The narrow, leaf-like calyx lobes nearly as long as the petals separate it from the related S. angularis, which has a winged stem and smaller flowers.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height6" - 1'4"

Width/Spread6" - 1'

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~10 weeks

Spring Summer

Flowering runs from late April through July, peaking in May and June across its range. Individual rose-pink flowers last several days, opening in sunshine and closing in cloud, with new buds continuing along the branches for several weeks. Seed capsules ripen through midsummer.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

rose-pink with yellow center

Foliage Description

green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun

Requires 6-10 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.0 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

sand loam clay

Drainagemoist

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Sabatia campestris grows in full sun on moist to seasonally wet sandy or loamy soils with a pH of about 6.0 to 7.5. As a hardy annual it is sown from seed in autumn or early spring and germinates with cool, moist conditions. It tolerates periodic flooding and clay but declines in dense shade or on droughty ground. The small seed needs light and surface sowing rather than burial. Plants self-sow where the ground stays open. Crowding by grasses and perennials shortens their persistence at a site.

Pruning

As an annual, S. campestris is not pruned. Removing spent stems before the capsules shed seed reduces self-sowing, while leaving them lets the plant reseed for the following year. No cutting back is needed during the single growing season.