The Liatris genus’ Blazing Stars, also known as Gayfeathers, share the following common traits: Stem leaves are narrow and lance-shaped; flower heads, which typically number 5 to 60 (though some species have as many as 160), are arranged on spikes and contain a variety of tiny tubular 5-lobed pink-purple florets in each flowerhead. There will be regional variances in species populations. Corms and rhizomes are rootstocks.
L. spicata can reach heights of 2 to 6 feet. With the exception of a few stray whitish hairs, mostly on the lower stem and in the inflorescence, the stems are upright and typically smooth.
The leaves are stem and basal. The bottom leaves are 10 inches long, up to 3/4 inch wide, and have a narrow lanceolate shape. As the stem grows, the alternate leaves become more linear and smaller in size. Although weakly gland-dotted, leaves lack glandular hairs.
Flowers: The individual flower heads are tiny, only 1/2 inch broad, with 5 to 8 (variant 4–14) florets. The corollas have funnel-shaped necks and are pinkish purple on the interior. The corolla’s five lobes slightly reflex. The single style is firmly surrounded by five stamens. When the floret opens, the long, deeply bifurcated style is what is exposed from the throat rather than these. The phyllaries, which are ovate to oblong in shape and vary in size, are arranged in 4 to 5 series around the perimeter of the flower head. Broadly rounded to obtuse tips are used. These typically lack hair but may have translucent edges. The tips don’t respond. Lower flower heads will have an obvious, longer-than-the-head linear green bract at the base.
A dry seed (a cypsela), measuring 4.5 to 6 mm long and bristly hair-attached for wind dispersion, is produced by fertile blooms. To come out of dormancy, seeds need to be cold stratified for 60 days.
var. spicata and var. resinosa are the two identified variations. The latter has phyllaries that range in color from purple to greenish and has drastically smaller leaves in the middle of the stem. The former has gradually shorter leaves with phyllaries that are typically greenish in color.
Habitat: Liatris spicata enjoys full sun, moist to mesic soil conditions, and well-drained soil. It can be discovered in the wild on bluffs, limestone outcrops, and deserts. These plants will attract butterflies and long-tongued bees. It develops from a globose to somewhat elongated structure resembling a corm.
Names: The meaning of the old name Liatris has been lost. The word “spike bearing” in the species spicata refers to how the floral arrangement is shaped. As you can see from the list above, this plant has been given a number of common names. While Flora of North America refers to it as Florist or Marsh Gayfeather, The Garden uses the same name as the USDA. It is known as Marsh Blazing Star in Wisconsin. Because of this, scientific names are significant. Carl Ludwig Willdenow (1765–1812), a German botanist and the father of the study of the geographic distribution of plants, is the author of the plant classification under the pen name Willd. He was the Berlin Botanic Garden’s director and curator. He revised the work of Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), a Swedish botanist and the inventor of the binomial nomenclature used in modern taxonomy, in 1803 under the designation “(L. ),” which stands for the first person to classify. In 1753, Linnaeus gave the plant its scientific name, Serratula spicata.
Comparisons: Unlike L. pycnostachya, while they similarly grow in a dense spike, the heads are not stalked. In contrast to L. pycnostachya, where they are sharp and prone to a backward curve, flower head phyllaries are rounded. Without a close look, it can be challenging to tell L. spicata and L. pycnostachya apart. See also Dotted Blazing Star, L. punctata, which has phyllaries that are bigger, oblong-ovate, and covered in marginal hairs, as well as leaves that are shorter and thinner.
See bottom of page for notes on the Garden’s planting history, distribution in Minnesota and North America, lore and other references.
Above: The floral display and stem’s top, showing its delicate leaves. use N.L. Britton and A. Brown as sources. 1913. An illustrated flora of the British Possessions, Canada, and the northern United States. 3 vols. New York-based Charles Scribner’s Sons
As seen below, L. spicata will start to bloom in late July. First and second pictures: The flower head is a thick spike. The Prairie Blazing Star, L. pycnostachya, can be distinguished by its dense spike and absence of flower bud stems. Third image: The underside of the leaf. This leaf is gland-dotted, and the midvein has a few sparse hairs.
The flower heads below feature five to eight florets and pinkish purple corollas with funnel-shaped necks. The fashion is extensive and profoundly divided. the slender, smooth, linear leaves, which get smaller closer to the stem’s apex.
Detail of the flower heads is shown below; Note the rounded purple phyllaries of the var. resinosa in the first shot. The green phyllaries of the var. spicata are shown in the second image. These are different from the aesthetically similar Prairie Blazing Star, L. pycnostachya, in that they lack reflexed tips and are instead pointed. The tips here do not react.
Notes:
Notes: According to Eloise Butler, who planted Dense Blazing Star for the first time on May 1st 1912 using plants from the same source, Kelsey’s Nursery on the East Coast, the plant was initially planted in 1911. She received 12 from Horsford’s Nursery in Charlotte, Vermont, in 1919. In 1921, ’23, ’26, ’29, ’30, and ’31, more were added. In order to build the Upland Garden, Martha Crone also planted near 1936 from a source in Shakopee, Minnesota, and then added more in 1946, 1951, 1953, 1954, and 1956. On her 1951 Garden Census, she noted it. Although this species is endemic to states east of the Mississippi River Valley, excluding New England, it is not native to Minnesota. Instead, it is native to SE Wisconsin. It is well-known in Ontario and Quebec in Canada. In Wisconsin, it is classified as a plant of “Special Concern.” There are 37 Liatris species in North America.
There are five Liatris species that are endemic to Minnesota, and several others that have been reported but not ever collected. The native five species are L. punctata, Dotted Blazing Star, L. punctata, Dotted Blazing Star, L. pycnostachya, Prairie Blazing Star, L. ligulistylis, Large-headed (or Rocky Mountain) Blazing Star, and L. cylindracea, Ontario Blazing Star.
Spreading brilliant star blooms
The perennial blazing star is simple to grow, but it needs full light. It does not bloom well in the shade and is more prone to illness. Give it light, well-drained soil. The pH level is not important as long as the soil drains properly. Blazing Star doesn’t like having its feet wet and grows from corms or tuberous roots.
In warm regions, sow Blazing Star from seed in the fall or early spring. When exposed to cold for two to three months before warm weather, they can germinate after 45 days and thrive at their best. Seed-grown plants won’t blossom their first year. To the touch, keep the soil moist. Alternately, you might plant nursery plants in pots in the late spring. Blazing Star should be spaced 2 to 3 feet apart. Slowly, the plant grows out to a final width of 3 to 5 feet. Most garden spaces can accommodate one plant. Self-sowing Blazing Star also spreads via underground roots. As the plant crowds and development slows, divide it every two to three years.
Conditions should be somewhat wet rather than dry for Blazing Star. It grows more quickly and produces more blooms in damp soil. However, once established, it can endure poor soil and dry conditions. If Blazing Star’s development is sluggish, fertilize it in the spring. It might not require any fertilizer at all in rich soils. Follow the instructions on the fertilizer’s packaging and apply an all-purpose fertilizer to it.
What appearance does the blazing star flower have?
Examine the nine various varieties of blazing star flowers, how they differ from one another, what makes them special, and some gardening advice for blazing star flowers.
Plant some Liatris if you want “blazing stars in your landscape.” Liatris species are grassland or meadow flowers and are Asteraceae family members. However, they also thrive in a variety of other environments. Native to North America, liatris is a plant that is particularly common in the Southeast.
The tall, dazzling blossoms of the blazing star plant, which come in the shape of white, pink, or purple flowers that like bottle brushes, are what give the plant its name. The long flower stem and spherical bracts of the genus Liatris are its trademark features. They bloom from the top down, unlike the majority of other flowers.
There are more than 40 different Liatris species in North America. Here are a few of the most well-known cultivars and variations.
Perennials or annuals, are blazing stars?
The flowers on this perennial give it its name. Similar to sparklers, they arise on tall stalks and bloom from the top down rather than the bottom up. Many different pollinators, including monarch butterflies and other butterflies, love blazing star as a source of nectar. When the blossoms are finished, the seeds provide finches with a wholesome snack. Sadly, rabbits and deer also enjoy bright lights, so make preparations accordingly.
Do the blazing stars return each year?
Liatris is a perennial that blooms in the summer and has grassy leaves and bottle-brush-shaped, fuzzy flowers. This North American wildflower, also known as blazing star or gayfeather, adds beauty to flower beds, cutting gardens, manicured spaces, and informal plantings. Butterfly magnets, the unusual flower spikes are 2 to 4 feet tall.
Start with a Better Plant
Liatris grows from a corm that resembles a bulb. Large, grade #1 corms from Longfield Gardens (seen on the far left) develop into robust, vigorous plants.
Plan for Success
Liatris can thrive in both full sun and partial shade, however full sun is preferred.
In zones 3 to 8, liatris can withstand the winter. Uncertain of your hardness zone? Look at this USDA zone map.
Liatris corms are planted in the spring when the temperature is cool and it is simple for the young plants to establish themselves. About 70 to 90 days after planting, flowers often show the first year, and the plants will continue to bloom for years to come.
Where to Plant Liatris
In many regions of the United States, liatris grows wild in meadows and prairies. The plants are frequently used in rain gardens even though they demand well-drained soil since they can withstand more moisture than many other permanent garden plants.
Liatris may offer visual interest to flower beds. Their elegant, wand-like flowers open in the middle to end of summer. Although there are cultivars with pink or white blooms, amethyst-purple blossoms are the most common flower color. Liatris make lovely cut flowers and complement dahlias, zinnias, and other summer blossoms beautifully in a vase.
Liatris are robust enough to survive when planted in a meadow or other natural setting because they are native plants. Liatris is an absolute necessity for butterfly gardens since the flowers draw a wide variety of butterfly species. It works well with ornamental grasses and looks particularly lovely planted in broad sweeps or drifts.
How to Plant Liatris
You can either dig a wider hole and plant multiple bulbs at once, or you can plant the corms one at a time.
Place the corm(s) with the smooth side down and the sprouts facing up in the hole. The corms should be placed 5″ apart on centers.
What to Expect
Liatris are hardy plants, but in extremely dry conditions, it is advisable to water newly planted corms once a week to help them develop a robust root system. Avoid overwatering as you would with any bulb.
Liatris requires little to no care after the first several months. The plants are inherently resistant to pests and diseases, generally tolerant to drought, and deer typically overlook them.
Caring for Liatris after they Flower
Liatris flower stalks can be removed at the plant’s base once blooming is over. However, even when their color has gone, the blooms still offer a vertical point of interest. You are welcome to leave them standing, especially in plants that mimic nature.
What kind of flower is blazing star?
The perennial native wildflower known as prairie blazing star has a hairy, unbranched stalk and a spike of several closely packed, rose-purple flowerheads. It is a distinctive wildflower of the tallgrass prairie and can occasionally be found in large numbers. The rootstock is a corm with a globular form.
The bottom leaves can reach a length of 16 inches and a width of approximately 1/2 inch before getting considerably shorter and narrower further up. The leaves are alternate, highly numerous (sometimes so packed as to appear whorled), narrow (linear), and have 3 or 5 main veins on the base and stem leaves.
The rose-purple flowerheads are clustered closely together around the top of the spike-like stalk without a stalk (occasionally white). The flowerheads feature 49 disk florets but no ray florets that resemble petals. The 2-branched, thread-like styles (extended pistil points) extend far beyond the 5-lobed petal tube. blooms from July to October.
The involucral bracts, which are overlapping leaflike structures at the base of each flowerhead, have lance-shaped tips that taper to a point and spread forth or curve backward. The margins, or sometimes the entire bract, are thin, light, or transparent.
The populations of this species in Missouri are of the variation pycnostachya. Var. lasiophylla, a different, hairier variety, can be found southwest of us (Texas through Louisiana).
There are nine species of Liatris known to exist in Missouri, and many of these have been documented to hybridize where they grow in close proximity to one another. One should be prepared to take notice of specifics of the floral structure, such as the involucral bracts described above, in order to identify between the many species and hybrids.
Dense blazing star (L. spicata), which is uncommon in Missouri’s natural environments but is frequently grown in landscape plantings, is the species that most closely resembles prairie blazing star. It may escape from cultivation. It is a glabrous plant with appressed, somewhat blunt involucral bracts (not hairy). However, Missouri does not have any of the usual species of dense blazing stars.
Liatris spicata (blazing star). This Asteraceae is native to eastern North America where its natural habitats are wet depression in prairies and sedge meadows. Lurie Garden’s plant palette contains two blazing stars: L. spicata with red-purple flowers and L. spicata ‘Alba’ with creamy white flowers.
Blazing star plants often grow to 1.2 m (4 ft) in height and 0.5 m (1.5 ft) in width, adding a strong vertical structure to the landscape with a modest footprint. It’s interesting to note that L. spicata specimens up to 1.8 m (6 ft) tall can frequently be seen in the wild. The optimal conditions for blazing star growth are free-draining soil and full sun. Rich, heavily fertilized garden soils frequently cause plants to become top-heavy during flowering, necessitating staking. Liatris spicata can withstand summer heat and humidity, clay soils, and drought.
Blazing star can take some time to grow in the garden, but the effort is well worth it because it produces tall spires of red-purple (L. spicata) or creamy white (L. spicata ‘Alba’) blooms that are produced from clumps of grass-like leaves. Numerous insects and pollinators, including butterflies, hummingbirds, native bees, bumblebees, and honeybees, are drawn to the blossoms of blazing star. Birds gorge on L. spicata seed throughout the late fall and winter.
The small leaflets (bracts) that cover the base of the flower buds in Liatris spicata (also known as the prairie blazing star) lie smooth along the bud as opposed to curving off of it as in L. pycnostachya.
provides food for birds, shelters butterfly and moth caterpillars, and draws pollinators.