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Greene's elegant gayfeather, shaggy blazing star

pine-needle gayfeather, shortleaf blazing star, shortleaf gayfeather

Habit Plants 60–105 cm. Plants 40–150 cm.
Stems

glabrous.

glabrous or sparsely pilose.

Leaves

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 (arising from separated nodes) 1-nerved, linear to linear-lanceolate, 100–300 × 1–2(–2.5) mm, gradually or abruptly reduced distally, essentially glabrous, gland-dotted (proximal margins sometimes ciliate).

Peduncles

0 or (ascending) 2(–7) mm.

(ascending) 1–7 mm.

Involucres

turbinate, 6–8 × 5–7 mm.

turbinate-campanulate, 5–7 × 4–5 mm.

Florets

(7–)8–11(–13);

corolla tubes pilose inside.

4–6;

corolla tubes glabrous inside.

Phyllaries

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 2–3(–4) series, lanceolate to oblong or elliptic-oblong, unequal, essentially glabrous, margins with (pinkish purple) hyaline borders, apices usually rounded-retuse and minutely involute-cuspidate to apiculate.

Heads

in loose, racemiform arrays (internodes 2–14 mm).

in compact, racemiform arrays.

Cypselae

2.8–3.5(–3.8) mm;

pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate.

2.5–4 mm;

pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate.

Corms

mostly globose.

globose.

2n

= 20.

Liatris elegantula

Liatris tenuifolia

Phenology Flowering Aug–Oct(–Nov). Flowering Aug–Nov.
Habitat Longleaf pine-scrub oak, pine, live oak-pine, deciduous oak-pine, deciduous flatwoods, sandhills, savanna edges, edges of cypress depressions, depression meadows, live oak-pine-palmetto hammocks, sandy clay or loam, rarely clay Longleaf pine savannas, longleaf pine-scrub oak, turkey oak-bluejack oak, slash pine-sand pine-scrub, sand pine-scrub, sand ridges, hills, and flats, roadsides
Elevation 0–300(–500) m (0–1000(–1600) ft) 10–100 m (0–300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; MS
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 21, p. 530. FNA vol. 21, p. 526.
Parent taxa Asteraceae > tribe Eupatorieae > Liatris Asteraceae > tribe Eupatorieae > Liatris
Sibling taxa
L. acidota, L. aestivalis, L. aspera, L. bracteata, L. chapmanii, L. cokeri, L. compacta, L. cylindracea, L. cymosa, L. elegans, L. garberi, L. gholsonii, L. glandulosa, L. gracilis, L. helleri, L. hirsuta, L. laevigata, L. lancifolia, L. ligulistylis, L. microcephala, L. ohlingerae, L. oligocephala, L. patens, L. pauciflora, L. pilosa, L. provincialis, L. punctata, L. pycnostachya, L. savannensis, L. scariosa, L. spicata, L. squarrosa, L. squarrulosa, L. tenuifolia, L. tenuis, L. virgata
L. acidota, L. aestivalis, L. aspera, L. bracteata, L. chapmanii, L. cokeri, L. compacta, L. cylindracea, L. cymosa, L. elegans, L. elegantula, L. garberi, L. gholsonii, L. glandulosa, L. gracilis, L. helleri, L. hirsuta, L. laevigata, L. lancifolia, L. ligulistylis, L. microcephala, L. ohlingerae, L. oligocephala, L. patens, L. pauciflora, L. pilosa, L. provincialis, L. punctata, L. pycnostachya, L. savannensis, L. scariosa, L. spicata, L. squarrosa, L. squarrulosa, L. tenuis, L. virgata
Synonyms Lacinaria elegantula, L. graminifolia var. elegantula Lacinaria tenuifolia
Name authority (Greene) K. Schumann: Just’s Bot. Jahresber. 29(1): 569. (1903) Nuttall: Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 2: 131. (1818)
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