Linnaeus named starflower Trien-talis, that is, "remarkable in three ways." It is indeed an oddball within primrose family, as it has 7 stamens, 7 petals, and a 7-parted calyx (and even the number of leaves is typically seven, though this was not essential for Linnaeus, whose system was based on the flower parts). A delicate star-shaped flower is balanced on a very slender peduncle. A tiny young fruit (right) is cradled in the persistent calyx.