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Chapman's blazing star, Chapman's gayfeather

Great Plains gayfeather, lanceleaf blazing star

Habit Plants 35–75(–150) cm. Plants (20–)40–80 cm.
Stems

hirtellous.

glabrous.

Leaves

basal and proximal cauline 1-nerved, spatulate-oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, 40–150(–180) × 4–8(–11) mm, abruptly reduced (linear, 1–2 mm wide), then gradually reduced distally, essentially glabrous or hirtellous (sometimes mostly along abaxial midveins), gland-dotted.

basal and lower cauline 3–5-nerved, narrowly oblong-lanceolate to narrowly spatulate-oblanceolate, 60–180(–330) × 6–12(–15) mm (usually becoming more densely arranged distally), abruptly reduced near midstem (continuing densely to immediately proximal to heads), essentially glabrous, gland-dotted (bases of basal often fibrous-persistent).

Peduncles

0.

0.

Involucres

cylindric, 8–12 × 3.5–5 mm.

turbinate-cylindric to turbinate-campanulate, 7–9 × 4–7 mm.

Florets

3–4;

corolla tubes glabrous inside.

5–8(–12);

corolla tubes glabrous inside.

Phyllaries

in 3(–4) series, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, unequal, usually glabrous, rarely minutely puberulent, margins with hyaline borders, apices acute to acuminate.

in 3–4 series, ovate to oblong, unequal, glabrous, margins with hyaline borders, sometimes ciliolate, apices rounded to obtuse.

Heads

(appressed, overlapping) in dense, spiciform arrays.

in dense, spiciform arrays.

Cypselae

(3–)4–6 mm;

pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate.

4–4.5 mm;

pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate.

Corms

globose to elongate.

globose.

2n

= 20.

= 20.

Liatris chapmanii

Liatris lancifolia

Phenology Flowering Aug–Oct. Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Dunes, beach strands, sand ridges, fields, roadsides, longleaf pine savannas, longleaf pine-turkey oak, turkey oak, evergreen oak-sand pine-scrub, scrub with Ceratiola and Pinus clausa Prairies (often wet or moist), banks of spring-fed streams, sandy and sandy-clay soils, saline sites
Elevation 0–50 m (0–200 ft) 500–1500 m (1600–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; KS; NE; NM; SD; TX; WY
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The abrupt size reduction of cauline leaves in Liatris lancifolia is similar to that of L. spicata var. resinosa; the long, dense spikes and wider basal leaves are more like those of L. spicata var. spicata. Little differentiation exists between L. lancifolia and L. spicata, but L. lancifolia is maintained here at specific rank, coordinate with L. spicata, primarily because of its wide geographic disjunction and generally different habitat. Recognition that the two elements within L. spicata have a nearly analogous relationship of range and habitat might provide rationale for treating all three of these closely similar taxa at equivalent rank. Liatris lancifolia is expected in Oklahoma.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 21, p. 526. FNA vol. 21, p. 523.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Eupatorieae > Liatris Asteraceae > tribe Eupatorieae > Liatris
Sibling taxa
L. acidota, L. aestivalis, L. aspera, L. bracteata, L. cokeri, L. compacta, L. cylindracea, L. cymosa, L. elegans, L. elegantula, L. garberi, L. gholsonii, L. glandulosa, L. gracilis, L. helleri, L. hirsuta, L. laevigata, L. lancifolia, L. ligulistylis, L. microcephala, L. ohlingerae, L. oligocephala, L. patens, L. pauciflora, L. pilosa, L. provincialis, L. punctata, L. pycnostachya, L. savannensis, L. scariosa, L. spicata, L. squarrosa, L. squarrulosa, L. tenuifolia, L. tenuis, L. virgata
L. acidota, L. aestivalis, L. aspera, L. bracteata, L. chapmanii, L. cokeri, L. compacta, L. cylindracea, L. cymosa, L. elegans, L. elegantula, L. garberi, L. gholsonii, L. glandulosa, L. gracilis, L. helleri, L. hirsuta, L. laevigata, L. ligulistylis, L. microcephala, L. ohlingerae, L. oligocephala, L. patens, L. pauciflora, L. pilosa, L. provincialis, L. punctata, L. pycnostachya, L. savannensis, L. scariosa, L. spicata, L. squarrosa, L. squarrulosa, L. tenuifolia, L. tenuis, L. virgata
Synonyms Lacinaria chapmanii Lacinaria lancifolia, L. kansana
Name authority Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 2: 502. (1843) (Greene) Kittell: in I. Tidestrom and T. Kittell, Fl. Ariz. New Mex., 370. (1941)
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