Liatris elegans
Liatris gracilis
elegant gayfeather, pinkscale blazing star, pinkscale gayfeather
slender blazing star, slender gayfeather
puberulent to hirsute-puberulent.
puberulent to piloso- or strigoso-puberulent.
(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, usually linear to linear-oblanceolate or oblanceolate, sometimes narrowly spatulate, 50–150 × 2–8(–10) mm, gradually or abruptly reduced on distal 1/2–1/3 of stems, essentially glabrous (proximal margins ciliate).
usually 0, sometimes 1–5(–10) mm.
0 or (usually straight, stiffly spreading to ascending) 2–10(–12) mm.
turbinate-cylindric, 12–20 × 4–6 mm.
cylindro-campanulate, (4–)4.5–6(–7) × 3–4(–5) mm.
4–5;
corolla tubes glabrous inside.
3–6(–9);
corolla tubes pilose 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 to purple) ovate to oblong, strongly to weakly unequal, sparsely puberulent, margins with hyaline borders, ciliolate, apices rounded to truncate.
in dense, spiciform arrays.
in loose, racemiform arrays.
3.5–5(–6) mm;
pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles plumose.
3–3.5 mm;
pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate.
depressed-globose or globose to napiform.
globose to subglobose.
= 20.
Liatris elegans
Liatris gracilis
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.)
Plants of Liatris gracilis from the panhandle of Florida and the southern tier of Alabama counties tend to have sharply acute phyllaries; intermediates are often encountered.
(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
