This is the 15456th most frequent German word.
verstreuten
"Verstreuten" means "scattered" or "dispersed."
Here, 'verstreuten' is used as an adjective (past participle of 'verstreuen') to describe 'Blätter' as being scattered.
Die verstreuten Blätter auf dem Boden zeigten den Herbst an.
The scattered leaves on the ground indicated autumn.
In this sentence, 'verstreuten' describes 'Sterne' to signify their distributed placement across the sky.
Er erinnerten sich an die verstreuten Sterne am dunklen Nachthimmel.
They remembered the scattered stars in the dark night sky.
'Verstreuten' in this context qualifies 'Bewohner' indicating that they were dispersed before gathering.