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Asteraceae
Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Strength, joy, willing service.
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Genus
- Liatris
- Native to
- Eastern North America
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- Cormous perennial
- Height
- 60–150 cm
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil
- Average, well-drained
- Water
- Low to moderate; drought-tolerant
- Hardiness
- 3–9
- Lifespan
- Long-lived perennial
Did you know
- Unlike most spike-flowered plants, liatris opens from the top down — the topmost florets bloom first and the wave moves downward, the opposite of foxglove or salvia.
- It's a native prairie plant that supports an enormous number of pollinators, from monarch butterflies to native bumblebees and skipper moths.
- Also called gayfeather and prairie blazing star, it's one of the most important nectar sources for migrating monarchs across the central US.
- The cormous root system resembles a flattened bulb and stores enough energy to survive prairie fires and harsh winters.
- Florists love liatris for arrangements because its sturdy spikes hold up in vases for two weeks or more.
Color meanings
Purple
Bold devotion