Liatris squarrosa
(Scaly Blazing Star)
Other pictures of this plant:
Facts About this Plant:
- Common Names: Scaly Blazing Star, Alabama Blazing Star, Plains Blazing Star
- Lifespan: Perennial
- Zones: 3 - 8
- Type: Forb
- Bloom Time: August - September
- Status: Native
Liatris squarrosa, or Scaly Blazing Star, is native to most of the eastern United States, and is especially common in the southeastern US; it is absent from the Northeast. It grows in dry, prairies, meadows and savannas, as well as rocky open woods, and blooms in late 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 squarrosa has large flower heads with bracts that come to a triangular tip and curve downward. The closest to it is Liatris hirsuta, but its bracts are much hairier. See the Liatris comparison photo below.
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