Liatris elegans
Liatris ligulistylis
elegant gayfeather, pinkscale blazing star, pinkscale gayfeather
northern plains gayfeather, Rocky Mountain blazing star, Rocky Mountain gayfeather, strap-style gayfeather
puberulent to hirsute-puberulent.
sparsely to densely puberulent, puberulent-villous, 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, narrowly oblanceolate to spatulate-lanceolate, 90–150(–220) × 4–17(–24) mm, gradually reduced distally to near midstem, then abruptly reduced, linear or narrowly lanceolate, ascending to nearly erect, bractlike, sparsely to densely puberulent, ± gland-dotted.
usually 0, sometimes 1–5(–10) mm.
usually (5–)8–15(–30) mm.
turbinate-cylindric, 12–20 × 4–6 mm.
campanulate to turbinate-campanulate, 10–15 × 13–18 mm.
4–5;
corolla tubes glabrous inside.
30–70;
corolla tubes glabrous 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–)4–5 series, oblong-obovate to oblong-spatulate, strongly unequal, essentially glabrous, margins with (purple) hyaline borders, erose to lacerate or irregular, apices broadly rounded to truncate.
in dense, spiciform arrays.
(4–21) in open, racemiform arrays (terminal heads sometimes maturing first and larger).
3.5–5(–6) mm;
pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles plumose.
5–7 mm;
pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate.
depressed-globose or globose to napiform.
subglobose (often knotty, densely fibrous-rooted).
= 20.
Liatris elegans
Liatris ligulistylis
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
MN Wildflowers
PNW Herbaria
