Liatris laevigata |
Liatris provincialis |
|
---|---|---|
clusterleaf gayfeather, shortleaf blazing star |
Godfrey's blazing star, Godfrey's gayfeather |
|
Habit | Plants 40–180 cm. | Plants 45–90 cm. |
Stems | glabrous. |
hirtellous. |
Leaves | basal and proximal cauline (mostly arising from congested nodes) 1-nerved, lance-linear to linear, 100–380 × (1–)2–6(–9) mm, abruptly reduced distally, glabrous (minutely white-dotted by stomates), weakly, if at all, gland-dotted (glandular hairs usually not evident). |
basal and proximal cauline 1-nerved, linear-oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, 60–150 × 2–6 mm, abruptly reduced, linear, 1–2 mm wide, then gradually or little reduced distally, essentially glabrous or hirtellous (sometimes mostly along abaxial midveins), gland-dotted. |
Peduncles | (ascending) 1–7 mm. |
0. |
Involucres | turbinate-campanulate, 5–7 × 4–5 mm. |
cylindric, 9–11 × 3–5 mm. |
Florets | 3–5; corolla tubes glabrous inside. |
3–4; corolla tubes glabrous inside. |
Phyllaries | in 2–3(–4) series, lanceolate to oblong or elliptic-oblong, unequal, essentially glabrous, margins with hyaline borders, apices usually rounded-retuse and minutely involute-cuspidate to apiculate. |
in 3–4(–5) series, oblong-obovate to oblong or oblong-lanceolate, strongly unequal, glabrous, sparsely puberulent, or hirtellous, margins with hyaline borders, ciliolate, apices acute to acuminate (mid often cuspidate). |
Heads | in compact, racemiform arrays. |
in dense, spiciform arrays (spreading to ascending, not strongly overlapping). |
Cypselae | 2.5–4 mm; pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate. |
4–5.5 mm; pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate. |
Corms | globose. |
globose to elongate. |
Liatris laevigata |
Liatris provincialis |
|
Phenology | Flowering Aug–Oct(–Nov). | Flowering (Aug–)Sep–Oct. |
Habitat | Sand ridges and flats, roadsides, pine woods, sand pine-scrub, longleaf pine-scrub oak | Evergreen oak-sand pine-scrub, turkey oak-longleaf pine, sand ridges, dunes |
Elevation | 0–100 m (0–300 ft) | 0–10 m (0–0 ft) |
Distribution |
FL; GA
|
FL |
Discussion | R. P. Wunderlin (1998) treated Liatris laevigata and L. tenuifolia as varieties in one species; A. Cronquist (1980, p. 207) also treated them within one species, as “two well-marked but wholly confluent geographic vars.” They have been noted to grow intermixed in Osceola County, Florida (L. laevigata, Ray et al. 10472, NCU; L. tenuifolia, Ray et al. 10423, NCU). Unequivocal intermediates have not been seen in the present study. With the observation of consistent morphologic differences in habit, vestiture, and leaf punctation, and their broad sympatry in Florida, it seems appropriate to recognize them at specific rank. Liatris laevigata is restricted to peninsular Florida and immediately adjacent Georgia (e.g., Floyd’s Island, Charlton County, Cypert 240, SMU). Leaf width is markedly variable, and collections of narrow-leaved forms sometimes have been identified as L. tenuifolia. Narrow-leaved forms of L. laevigata apparently are more common in southern Florida (Collier, Dade, Glades, Lee, Monroe, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, and Polk counties). Broader-leaved plants apparently tend to have larger corms, which may be related to age or habitat. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Of conservation concern. Liatris provincialis is very similar to L. chapmanii and apparently restricted to coastal and near-coastal sites in panhandle of Florida (Franklin and Wakulla counties). Beside the difference in orientation of the heads, phyllaries of L. provincialis are broader (versus gradually and more narrowly lanceolate), often abruptly acute to short-acuminate or cuspidate, but there is little else to distinguish the two. Liatris provincialis is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 21, p. 526. | FNA vol. 21, p. 527. |
Parent taxa | Asteraceae > tribe Eupatorieae > Liatris | Asteraceae > tribe Eupatorieae > Liatris |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Lacinaria laevigata, L. tenuifolia var. laevigata, L. tenuifolia var. quadriflora | |
Name authority | Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n. s. 7: 285. (1840) | R. K. Godfrey: Amer. Midl. Naturalist 66: 466, fig. 1. (1961) |
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