The fictional star-shaped flower in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is elanor. It grows in Lothlórien, the woodland realm associated with Galadriel and Celeborn.
The name elanor comes from Sindarin and is commonly explained as meaning “sun-star.” Tolkien describes the flower as small and golden, with a star-like shape. Its beauty helps create the distinctive atmosphere of Lothlórien, a place presented as unusually preserved and radiant within Middle-earth.
Elanor is also important in the story after the War of the Ring. Samwise Gamgee names his daughter Elanor after the flower, and she later becomes known as Elanor the Fair. This detail links Sam’s family to his memories of Lothlórien and to the wider history of the Ring-bearers. Elanor should not be confused with athelas, the healing herb associated with Aragorn, or with niphredil, another flower named in Tolkien’s Elvish lore.