Liatris pycnostachya

Liatris pycnostachya, the prairie blazing star,[1] cattail gayfeather[2] or cattail blazing star,[3] is a perennial plant in the Asteraceae family that is native to the tallgrass prairies of the central United States.[2][4]

Liatris pycnostachya

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Liatris
Species:
L. pycnostachya
Binomial name
Liatris pycnostachya

Description

The flower stalks reach 60 to 120 cm (2 to 4 ft) in height, or rarely to 180 cm (6 ft). The leaves are linear, grass-like, 11 to 22 cm (4+1⁄4 to 8+3⁄4 in) long and 4 to 10 mm (0.16 to 0.39 in) wide.[3] They grow both from the root and in great numbers on the flower stems, becoming progressively smaller higher up the stem. The end of the flower stem is covered in a spike of flower heads 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 in (6 to 13 mm) across that bloom pink to purplish pink for a month in late summer,[5] from the top down.[6] Each flower head has 5 to 8 florets[3] and is surrounded by overlapping pinkish bracts (phyllaries) whose tips are pointed and curve backwards.[6] The stems, leaves, and bracts may be smooth or hairy to varying degrees.[3][7] The shape of the bracts distinguishes this species from others, for example Liatris spicata, another tall Liatris species that has thickly packed spikes, but whose bracts are flat with rounded tips.[8][9]

The root system is a corm that sometimes develops into a rhizome.[3] It produces offsets and gradually forms a clump.

Etymology

The species epithet comes from Ancient Greek πυκνός (puknós) "dense" and στάχυς (stákhus) "ear of grain",[10] referring to the thickly packed spike of flowers.

Distribution and habitat

Its native habitats include prairies, open woods, and meadows.

Ecology

The plant attracts birds, hummingbirds, and butterflies.[11] It is a larval host to the bleeding flower moth (Schinia sanguinea).[12]

Seeds of Liatris pycnostachya

References
  1. "USDA Plants Database". plants.usda.gov.
  2. "Liatris pycnostachya". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
  3. Nesom, Guy L. (2006). "Liatris pycnostachya". 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.
  4. Pink, A. (2004). Gardening for the Million. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.
  5. Hilty, John (2020). "Prairie Blazingstar (Liatris pycnostachya)". Illinois Wildflowers. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  6. Chayka, Katy; Dziuk, Peter (2016). "Liatris pycnostachya (Prairie Blazing Star)". Minnesota Wildflowers. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  7. "Liatris pycnostachya". Native Plant Database. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas at Austin.
  8. Hilty, John (2020). "Marsh Blazingstar (Liatris spicata)". Illinois Wildflowers. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  9. Nesom, Guy L. (2006). "Liatris spicata". 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.
  10. πυκνός and στάχυς. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project
  11. "Liatris pycnostachya - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  12. The Xerces Society (2016), Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects, Timber Press.
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