Liatris laevigata |
Liatris tenuis |
|
---|---|---|
clusterleaf gayfeather, shortleaf blazing star |
gulf blazing star, Shinners' gayfeather |
|
Habit | Plants 40–180 cm. | Plants 30–55 cm. |
Stems | glabrous. |
strigoso-puberulent. |
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(–3)-nerved, linear-lanceolate to linear-oblanceolate, 120–250 × 2–3(–5) mm, abruptly reduced on distal 1/2–2/3 of stems, sparsely pilose (abaxial faces), gland-dotted. |
Peduncles | (ascending) 1–7 mm. |
0 or 1–5 mm. |
Involucres | turbinate-campanulate, 5–7 × 4–5 mm. |
cylindro-campanulate, 10–13 × 5–6(–7) mm. |
Florets | 3–5; corolla tubes glabrous inside. |
10–12; 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, outermost narrowly triangular, unequal, sparsely fine-pilose to glabrate, margins without hyaline borders, ciliate, apices (loosely divergent) acute to acuminate (innermost sometimes obtuse and short-acuminate). |
Heads | in compact, racemiform arrays. |
in loose, spiciform arrays (internodes 1–15 mm). |
Cypselae | 2.5–4 mm; pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate. |
4.2–4.5 mm; pappi: lengths equaling corollas, bristles barbellate or proximally plumose. |
Corms | globose. |
globose to subglobose. |
Liatris laevigata |
Liatris tenuis |
|
Phenology | Flowering Aug–Oct(–Nov). | Flowering (Jun–)Jul–Sep. |
Habitat | Sand ridges and flats, roadsides, pine woods, sand pine-scrub, longleaf pine-scrub oak | Longleaf pine savannas, pine-hardwood edges, slopes, flats, uplands, near drainages, sands, sandy clays, fencerows, roadsides |
Elevation | 0–100 m (0–300 ft) | 50–100 m (200–300 ft) |
Distribution |
FL; GA
|
LA; TX |
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.) |
Liatris tenuis 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. 523. |
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) | Shinners: SouthW. Naturalist 4: 208. (1959) |
Web links |