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 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Liatris |
| Species: | L. aspera
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| Binomial name | |
| Liatris aspera | |
Description
editLiatris 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
editThis 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
editIt attracts birds, hummingbirds, and butterflies.[6]
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Flowers from above, some not yet blooming. -
Monarch butterfly on Liatris aspera, North Dakota, USA.
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References
edit- ^ a b Hilty, John (2020). "Rough Blazingstar (Liatris aspera)". Illinois Wildflowers.
- ^ a b Chayka, Katy; Dziuk, Peter (2016). "Liatris aspera (Rough Blazing Star)". Minnesota Wildflowers.
- ^ Haddock, Mike (2018). "Tall gayfeather". Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses.
- ^ "Liatris aspera". Flora of Wisconsin. Wisconsin State Herbarium, University of Wisconsin–Madison.
- ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org.
- ^ a b c "Liatris aspera - Plant Finder". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "USDA Plants Database". plants.usda.gov.
- ^ Denison, Edgar (2017). Missouri Wildflowers. Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-887247-59-7.