Liatris elegantula
Liatris gracilis
Greene's elegant gayfeather, shaggy blazing star
slender blazing star, slender gayfeather
glabrous.
puberulent to piloso- or strigoso-puberulent.
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, 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).
0 or (ascending) 2(–7) mm.
0 or (usually straight, stiffly spreading to ascending) 2–10(–12) mm.
turbinate, 6–8 × 5–7 mm.
cylindro-campanulate, (4–)4.5–6(–7) × 3–4(–5) mm.
(7–)8–11(–13);
corolla tubes pilose inside.
3–6(–9);
corolla tubes pilose 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 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 loose, racemiform arrays (internodes 2–14 mm).
in loose, racemiform arrays.
2.8–3.5(–3.8) mm;
pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate.
3–3.5 mm;
pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate.
mostly globose.
globose to subglobose.
= 20.
= 20.
Liatris elegantula
Liatris gracilis
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.)
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
