Liatris elegans
Liatris glandulosa
elegant gayfeather, pinkscale blazing star, pinkscale gayfeather
glandular blazing star, sticky gayfeather
puberulent to hirsute-puberulent.
stipitate-glandular.
(basal on relatively distant internodes usually withering before flowering) proximal cauline 1-nerved, narrowly oblanceolate, 60–200(–300) × 3–8 mm, gradually or abruptly reduced distally (becoming slightly to strongly deflexed), essentially glabrous or sparsely puberulent, gland-dotted.
basal and proximal cauline 1-nerved, linear to linear-lanceolate, 60–110 × 1.5–4(–4.5) mm, gradually or abruptly reduced on distal 1/2 of stems, stipitate-glandular.
usually 0, sometimes 1–5(–10) mm.
0.
turbinate-cylindric, 12–20 × 4–6 mm.
cylindro-turbinate, 8–12 × 3–5 mm.
4–5;
corolla tubes glabrous inside.
3–4(–5);
corolla tubes glabrous or glabrate inside.
in 3–4 series, narrowly lanceolate-triangular, unequal, strigose to strigoso-hispid, margins with hyaline borders, apices (at least inner) prolonged, spreading, ± dilated, petaloid (pink, purplish, white, or yellow).
in 3–4 series, (green, rarely purplish) oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate-triangular, unequal, densely glandular (mixture of sessile-sunken and slightly elevated glands), margins without hyaline borders, apices broadly to narrowly acute or acuminate (sometimes with indurate mucros).
in dense, spiciform arrays.
in dense, (cylindric) spiciform arrays.
3.5–5(–6) mm;
pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles plumose.
5–6 mm;
pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles plumose.
depressed-globose or globose to napiform.
subglobose to depressed-globose.
= 20.
Liatris elegans
Liatris glandulosa
Varieties 4 (4 in the flora).
Variety elegans extends across the geographic range of the species; the other three varieties form local enclaves essentially imbedded within var. elegans and sporadically intergrading with it at points of contact (see further comments under 10d. var. kralii).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Phyllary apices petaloid, blue, lavender, magenta, or pink, ± elongate and recurving, petaloid portions short relative to herbaceous bases | → 2 |
1. Phyllary apices petaloid, usually yellowish to creamy white, rarely pale lavender to rose, recurving to slightly flaring or nearly straight, petaloid portions elongate or relatively short relative to bases | → 3 |
2. Corms depressed-globose | var. elegans |
2. Corms elongate, tapering | var. carizzana |
3. Heads usually crowded (peduncles 0); phyllary apices creamy white (rarely pale lavender), sometimes initially lemon yellow fading to creamy white, elongate and recurving, petaloid portions short relative to herbaceous bases | var. bridgesii |
3. Heads well spaced; phyllary apices light yellow or cream (rarely pale lavender), flaring-divergent slightly or not at all, petaloid portions elongate relative to herbaceous bases | var. kralii |
LA Plants
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
