Ontario Blazing Star, Liatris cylindracea , Minnesota native wildflowers, Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

	Plants of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden
	Common Name	Scientific Name	Plant Family	Garden Location	Prime Season
	Ontario Blazing Star	Liatris cylindracea Michx.	Aster (Asteraceae)	Upland	Late Summer to Autumn
Other names and notes	(Cylindrical 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. cylindracea is a short plant, growing only to 24" high. It has leafy stems with long, linear leaves up to 1/2" wide. Flower heads are 5/8" wide and hold 10 to 35 flowers. The head bracts have sharp pointed tips. The flower spike has only a few heads in a central cluster and can have only one.


Typical small flower cluster of L. cylindracea. Photo (and thumbnail) ©Merel R. Black, Freckmann Herbarium, University of Wisconsin, Steven's Point.	Single flower of L. cylindracea. Photo ©Christopher Noll, Freckmann Herbarium, University of Wisconsin, Steven's Point.

Notes: Eloise Butler first recorded planting this species in 1908 and again in 1910 and 1912 with plants obtained from her source in what is now Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis. Martha Crone listed the plant on her 1951 Garden Census. This species native to Minnesota but is quite restricted in known distribution. It is found in the metro counties (including Hennepin) and then southward along the Mississippi river plus a few adjacent counties.

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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.

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