The leafless flower stalk arises 6-20 in. from bright-green basal leaves. Nodding flowers with strongly-backward pointing petals are in flat-topped clusters. At the top, the stalk divides into arching branches, each terminating in a flower. Petals of the white to deep pink flowers diverge upward to form a star-like pattern.

This flower is often cultivated. Bees, the chief pollinators, must extract pollen from the narrow tube formed by the united stamens and ensconcing the pistil. They do this by vibrating their bodies against the tube, shaking the pollen out. This plant was far more abundant during the days of the prairie settlers, who called it “Prairie Pointers.” Amethyst Shootingstar (D. amethystinum), with reddish-purple flowers and usually green leaf bases, occurs along bluffs on such rivers as the Mississippi, Susquehanna, and Ohio.