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As the title of this story says, plants of the star flower are, as the name suggests, horticultural creations that yield star-shaped flowers.  That’s it, flowers that are shaped like stars.  

They are slightly fragrant and have five white petals that are elongated and pointed towards the tip.  There are many other varieties of plants that also produce star-shaped flowers such as Murraya spp and Carissa spp but their petals are shorter and are rounded at the tips.

Also known commonly as Madam Fate, star flower plants originate in the Caribbean in Central America.  Within their natural environment, such plants grow well and spread so fast that they have become weed plants in many locations.  

On the positive side, the plant is also widely used as a potted flowering ornamental that is often placed indoors or on window sills, or grown in stairway planter boxes.

However, with the appearance of more colourful indoor flowering plants, the star flower is now relegated to the less popular levels.

Star flowers are tough herbaceous flowering and seeding dicotyledonous plants that are perennial in nature.  The plant is a small, low-growing but  highly fibrous herb that is able to grow well within a broad range of environmental conditions.

It is able to withstand roughshod treatment and handling and still sustain itself on marginal growing conditions.  But generally it prefers a gentler environment that ranges from semi-shade to fully shaded with a moderate to slightly dry condition.

Such conditions allow for the proliferation of the plant all over the state.  This is usually visible on roadsides, drain reserves, open spaces and abandoned lands.  

Grass-cutting workers appreciate such plants as they are not that tall to be visually irritating nor are they so dense and tough as to impede the grass-cutting exercise.  

The foliage is made up of rosettes of elongated green leaves spread out in a radial distribution.  Each leaf is hairy to varying degrees and has a clear white midrib that runs lengthwise throughout the entire length of the leaf.  

Leaves are narrow and are about 10-15 cm in length and about 2-4 cm in width.  Leaf edges are coarsely serrated and toothed but are without the prickly punch.  

This therefore allows for a more comfortable handling of the plant.

There are several ways to propagate star flower plants.  The easiest is to lie back and relax, and sipping a cuppa or two, while waiting for the fruits to mature to deliver the thousands of tiny seeds.  

Mature plants produce fruits along the stems, with each appearing to be like a small hairy capsule.  

Immature seeds are whitish yellow, and the mature ones are dark reddish-brown in colour.  Each seed measures less than 1 mm in length, but although tiny, they are produced plentifully.  

No treatment is needed to germinate the seeds as the success rate in the wild is rather high, often exceeding 50-60%.  At this rate, the countless number of seedlings that are spread around is likely to be an ever expanding coverage of adjacent areas.  

For this reason, the plant has been considered as an invasive weed specie in many places.

Another method is to use cuttings taken from the lower stem-like structures of the plant.  These may require about three weeks to root, and yielding successful, well-rooted plantlets in about 2-3 months.

However, the easiest and fastest method is to isolate, separate and extract the plants directly from the ground.  In the case of pot-bound plants, the process is basically the same, but with the smaller pots, the separation and extraction of the plant may also be done at the same time as repotting.  

This technique that yields a 100% success rate was discussed in this column last week.

When a star flower plant is properly extracted, there is little chance for the root ball to be shattered, thereby protecting the root system during the process of replanting.

This allows the plant to be established successfully in its new location, including the avoidance of wilting and leaf drop.  This method is therefore the fastest and most efficient way to grow new plants from an existing source of parent plants, with a casualty rate that is near zero.

Apart from the nice white star-shaped flowers, traditional medical practices also capitalise on the entire plant to satisfy the needs of mainly minor ailments.  

For instance, it can be used to take care of tooth aches and superficial wounds.  In the region of its origin, star flower plants are also used in anti-asthmatic and bronchitis treatments through the expertise of their own traditional medicine practitioners.  

These professionals know the small quantities of the stuff to be dispensed in each case.  They know that the plant, especially its milky sap, is toxic, and it may be an irritant to many people.  

As such, anyone handling such plants should preferably use protective wear such as gloves.