PRAIRIE BLAZINGSTAR
Liatris pycnostachya
ASTER FAMILY (Asteraceae)
Identification
- Flowering time - Late July, August
- Rare at NW - Lower Jonas Prairie
- Thick, very densely packed flower spike
- Pointed back-curved bracts at base of flower head
- Many narrow leaves
This showy, native perennial grows up to 5 feet tall. Stout unbranched stems with numerous longitudinal ridges bear smooth margined, alternate, grasslike leaves. Leaves are largest at the base where they may be up to 10 inches long and 1/2 inch wide, becoming smaller as they ascend the stem (B). The stalkless, flower heads occur in a dense spike at the top of the stem (A). Flowering begins at the tip and progresses downward (F). Each flower head is about 1/4 inch across and contains 5-12 individual pink to purple 5-lobed disk flowers with 2 protruding, threadlike, pink styles (C). At the base of each flower head is a series of overlapping, hairy, pointed bracts whose long tips curve outward (D). Plants with pure white flowers occur occasionally.
The dense, closely packed flower heads and sharply recurved bracts at the base of the flower head are useful in distinguishing this Liatris species from our other natives.
A tallgrass prairie plant common in lowland, moist prairie sites, flowering in late July and August. Its natural range in Nebraska is limited to the southeast portion of the state. It was present and flowered in 2008 and 2009 in the moist area at the bottom of Jonas Valley, but has not been documented recently.
This attractive plant is a favorite of gardeners and is often used by florists in floral arrangements. The name pycnostachya is derived from the Greek meaning ‘dense’ or ‘thick’ likely a reference to the flowers and/or leaves.
The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Forest who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page is: Neal Ratzlaff.