Liatris aspera

Liatris aspera (known as rough blazing star,[1][2] button blazing star,[3] lacerate blazing star,[4] tall prairie blazing star,[2] or tall gayfeather[5]) is a perennial wildflower in the Asteraceae family that is found in central to eastern North America in habitats that range from mesic to dry prairie and dry savanna.

Liatris aspera

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Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Liatris
Species:
L. aspera
Binomial name
Liatris aspera

Description

Liatris aspera is a perennial herb[6] that grows as a single, erect, unbranched stem 30 to 180 cm (1 to 6 feet) high.[7] Leaves are numerous on the stem, alternate, and narrowly lanceolate with the lower leaves larger, up to 38 centimetres (15 in) long and 1 inch (3 cm) wide, becoming smaller and narrower higher on the plant.[1]

The inflorescence is an erect raceme with numerous, purple, button-like flower heads, short-stalked or stalkless, blooming from the top down. It flowers from mid-August through October, with seed becoming ripe in October to November.[6]

Distribution and habitat

This plant is native to the United States from Texas to the west and New York to the east. It is also native to Ontario in Canada.[8] It grows in prairies, glades, and savannas, and along roadsides and railroads.[9]

Ecology

It attracts birds, hummingbirds, and butterflies.[6]

  • Flowers from above, some not yet blooming.
    Flowers from above, some not yet blooming.
  • Monarch butterfly on Liatris aspera, North Dakota, USA.
    Monarch butterfly on Liatris aspera, North Dakota, USA.

References
  1. Hilty, John (2020). "Rough Blazingstar (Liatris aspera)". Illinois Wildflowers.
  2. Chayka, Katy; Dziuk, Peter (2016). "Liatris aspera (Rough Blazing Star)". Minnesota Wildflowers.
  3. Haddock, Mike (2018). "Tall gayfeather". Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses.
  4. "Liatris aspera". Flora of Wisconsin. Wisconsin State Herbarium, University of Wisconsin–Madison.
  5. "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org.
  6. "Liatris aspera - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  7. Nesom, Guy L. (2006). "Liatris aspera". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 21. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  8. "USDA Plants Database". plants.usda.gov.
  9. Denison, Edgar (2017). Missouri Wildflowers. Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-887247-59-7.
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