Dense Blazing Star (Murfreesboro Indigenous Plant Project (MIPP) Guide)

Dense Blazing Star

Liatris spicata

Summary ⁶

Liatris spicata, the dense blazing star or prairie gay feather, is an herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the sunflower and daisy family Asteraceae. It is native to eastern North America where it grows in moist prairies and sedge meadows.

Ecology/Wildlife Use ⁶

Liatris spicata is excellent for attracting pollinators and beneficial insects. These include butterflies such as the monarch, tiger swallowtail, clouded sulphur, orange sulphur, gray hairstreak, Aphrodite fritillary, painted lady, red admiral, and wood nymphs. The flowers attract bumblebees, digger bees (Anthophorini), long-horned bees (Melissodes spp.), leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), skippers, and birds including hummingbirds. Caterpillars of the rare glorious flower moth (Schinia gloriosa) and liatris flower moth (Schinia sanguinea) feed on the flowers and seeds. Caterpillars of the liatris borer moth (Carmenta anthracipennis) bore through the plant's stems. Groundhogs, rabbits, and voles also eat the plants.

Deer are less likely to eat Liatris spicata than other plants and therefore considered deer-resistant, although deer will eat almost anything when food is scarce.

Growing Dense Blazing Star ⁶

Liatris spicata is a garden flower in many countries around the world, grown for its showy purple flowers (pink or white in some cultivars). They bloom in July through August or September, depending on where in their range they are located.

Under cultivation it is found under many names including button snakewort, Kansas gay feather, blazing star, Liatris callilepis.

Full sun is best and well-drained soil is preferred to prevent rot, though the plants do prefer moist soil. However, the plants do not tolerate wet soil in winter. The plants can tolerant some shade as well as drought but need regular watering during the first growing season to build strong roots.

Plants can be grown from corms (similar to bulbs and tubers) or from seed, or the plants can be bought at garden centres or nurseries.

To grow from seed, start in early spring either indoors or outside. Germination takes 20–45 days. When leaves appear, divide in large clumps. Plants should be spaced 12-15 inches apart. Spacing allows sun and air to help with potential diseases such as stem rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum), leaf spots (Phyllosticta liatridis,Septoria liatridis), rusts (Coleosporium laciniariae,Puccinia liatridis), powdery mildew (Erysiphe cichoracearum), and wilt (Verticillium albo-atrum). When growing from seed, blooms do not usually appear until the second year.

If amending the soil, the plants prefer soil with high levels of calcium and magnesium and low levels of potassium and phosphorus.

In gardens, Liatris spicata works well planted individually, as a border, and because of its vertical form, it contrasts well with mounded and broad-leaf plants. In informal gardens, large sweeps of plantings work well.

The flowers either fresh or dried work well as cut flowers and have a vanilla scent when dried.

Sources and Credits

(c) Mike Peel, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Liatris_spicata,_RHS_at_Tatton_Park,_2009-4.jpg
(c) Drew Avery, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dense_Blazing_Star_-_liatris_spicata_(4347694856).jpg
no rights reserved, uploaded by Dale Knox
(c) rachelgreenbelt, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelgreenbelt/15053463930/
(c) H. Zell, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Liatris_spicata_001.JPG
Adapted by Murfreesboro,TN, Natural Resource Division from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liatris_spicata
(c) Murfreesboro,TN, Natural Resource Division, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

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Family	Sunflower Family

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