Sabatia campestris aka Texas Star

Sabatia campestris is a small plant in the gentian family, Gentianaceae. Its common names include meadow pink, Texas star, and star of Texas. Kew lists its native range as central and east-central United States. It grows in a temperate climate and is not native to Britain or Ireland. Kew treats the species as an annual. Plants For A Future describes it as annual or biennial. That source gives a height of about 0.7 feet [0.2 metres]. The supplied records do not give its spread.

Its wild sites include prairies, fields, and other open ground. It also grows at woodland edges and beside roads. Plants For A Future notes clay soils as a main habitat. It also records the species on sandy ground. These records place it in both open sites and woodland margins. The supplied sources give no details of its leaves or stems. They also give no account of its flowers or fruit. A flowering season cannot be set from this evidence.

For garden use, Plants For A Future lists cultivated beds. It says the plant needs moist soil. It can grow in full sun or partial shade. Suitable soil textures include sand, loam, and clay. Its stated pH range runs from mildly acid to mildly alkaline. This includes neutral soil between those two ends. No hardiness zone appears in the supplied sources. The evidence also gives no growth rate or named pests and diseases. It does not describe how the plant copes with drought.

Plants For A Future recommends growing it from seed. Sow ripe seed in late summer or early autumn. Its guidance calls for peaty soil and a moist, shaded border. Another option uses pots in a shaded cold frame. Keep these pots moist by standing them in shallow water. The stated water depth is about 0.07–0.10 feet [0.02–0.03 metres]. This guidance concerns seed raising rather than the light needs of mature plants.

Plants For A Future records use of the plant for tonic tea. It does not name the plant part used. It also lists traditional tonic and antiperiodic medicinal uses. These records do not establish medical benefit or safe doses. The source reports no known hazards, but that does not prove safety. It lists no other uses and does not flag weed potential.