Liatris elegantula
Liatris bracteata
Greene's elegant gayfeather, shaggy blazing star
bract blazing star, South Texas gayfeather
glabrous.
glabrous.
basal and proximal cauline 1-nerved, linear-oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, 80–210 × 2–5(–10) mm, gradually or abruptly reduced distally, essentially glabrous (sparsely piloso-ciliate along proximal margins), gland-dotted.
basal and proximal cauline 1-nerved, linear, 40–100 × 1–2 mm, even-sized or gradually reduced distally, essentially glabrous, gland-dotted (proximal margins sparsely ciliate).
0 or (ascending) 2(–7) mm.
0.
turbinate, 6–8 × 5–7 mm.
turbinate-cylindric, (11–)12–15 × 5–7 mm.
(7–)8–11(–13);
corolla tubes pilose inside.
8–14(–16);
corolla tubes glabrous inside.
in 3–4(–5) series, mostly oblong, unequal, essentially glabrous, margins with hyaline borders (0.2–0.4 mm wide), sometimes sparsely ciliolate, apices rounded.
in 5–6(–7) series, broadly oblong to lanceolate-oblong, strongly unequal, glabrous, margins without hyaline borders, finely ciliolate, apices obtuse, rounded, or truncate, sharply involute-apiculate.
in loose, racemiform arrays (internodes 2–14 mm).
(widely spaced, stems evident) in loose, spiciform arrays.
2.8–3.5(–3.8) mm;
pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate.
6–9 mm;
pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles plumose.
mostly globose.
globose.
= 20.
= 60.
Liatris elegantula
Liatris bracteata
Of conservation concern.
Liatris bracteata might justifiably be treated at varietal rank within L. punctata; the morphologic difference appears to be primarily in head size (especially floret number). Chromosome counts (L. O. Gaiser 1950c) indicate that L. bracteata is hexaploid, compared to diploids and tetraploids in populations of L. punctata.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
