Liatris hirsuta
(Hairy Blazing Star)

Other pictures of this plant:


               Seedpod                                           Leaf                                            Stem                                        Seed                                          Habit

Facts About this Plant:

    Common Names: Hairy Blazing Star, Scaly Blazing Star, Hairy Gayfeather
    Lifespan: Perennial
    Zones: 5 - 9
    Type: Forb
    Bloom Time: July - September
    Status: Native
    Range:

Liatris hirsuta, or Hairy Blazing Star, is native to the mid- and south-central United States and parts of the southeast as well. It grows in dry, sandy prairies, meadows and fields and blooms in mid summer with light purple flowers on medium stalks.

This genus is a difficult one to differentiate some of the species, but the bracts below the flowers are what can be used in most cases to correctly ID them. Liatris hirsuta has large flower heads with bracts that curve backwards and taper to a point. The closest to it is Liatris squarrosa, of which it used to be considered just a subspecies, but it has bracts that are only very sparsely covered in hairs, while Liatris hirsuta has many hairs on its bracts. See the Liatris comparison photo below.

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