Large-headed Blazing Star, Liatris ligulistylis, Minnesota native wildflowers of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Large-headed Blazing Star	Liatris ligulistylis (A. Nels) K. Schum.	Aster	Upland	Late summer to autumn
Other names and notes	(Rocky Mountain Blazing Star). Blazing Stars of the Liatris genus have general characteristics of: Stem leaves narrow and lance shaped, the flower heads appear on a spike. Heads may be composed of 5 to 60 small tubular 5-lobed purple flowers. L. ligulistylis can grow 3 to 5' tall with smooth stems and the tall plants can have many leaves, which are linear and lower leaves up to 1 1/2" wide. There are few flower heads, usually 3 to 10 with the upper head usually larger than the others. Heads are packed with 30 to 100 flowers and the heads are on noticeably long stalks. The middle bracts of the heads have wide irregularly cut edges.


Above: A typical flower spike of L. ligulistylis showing the few, spaced and stalked flower heads. Photo (and thumbnail) ©Thomas G. Barnes, USDA-NRCS Plants Database.	Above: A typical flower head of L. ligulistylis showing the middle bracts of the heads with wide irregularly cut edges. Photo ©Derek Anderson, Freckmann Herbarium, University of Wisconsin, Steven's Point.

Notes: Martha Crone recorded this plant on her 1951 Garden Census. The plant is found in the US from Wisconsin westward to the Rocky Mountains. It is found in most Minnesota counties except those in and near the Arrowhead.

Return to -- Site Plan/Archive --or-- List of Common Plant Names -- or -- List of Scientific Names -- or --Home Page

References: Plant characteristics are generally from sources 15, 16, 30, 31, 33, W2 & W3. Distribution principally from W2 and also 31, 34 and W1. Planting history generally from 1, 4 & 4a. Other sources by specific reference. See Reference List for details.

122210