Liatris pycnostachya
Liatris gracilis
cat-tail gayfeather, prairie blazing star, prairie gayfeather, thick-spike blazing star
slender blazing star, slender gayfeather
glabrous or densely piloso-puberulent.
puberulent to piloso- or strigoso-puberulent.
basal and proximal cauline 3–5-nerved, linear to narrowly oblanceolate or oblanceolate, 110–220 × 4–10(–12) mm, gradually then abruptly reduced distally (bractlike proximal to heads), essentially glabrous or sparsely pilose to densely piloso-puberulent, weakly gland-dotted (bases of basal usually fibrous-persistent).
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).
usually 0, rarely (spreading to ascending) 1–2 mm.
0 or (usually straight, stiffly spreading to ascending) 2–10(–12) mm.
campanulate-cylindric, 7–9(–10) × 3.5–5 mm.
cylindro-campanulate, (4–)4.5–6(–7) × 3–4(–5) mm.
(4–)5–8;
corolla tubes glabrous inside.
3–6(–9);
corolla tubes pilose inside.
(reflexed or curving-spreading) in 4–5 series, oblong-lanceolate, unequal, essentially glabrous or ± pilose, margins with hyaline borders, sometimes ciliate, apices usually acute to acute-acuminate (sometimes distally dilated, nearly petaloid).
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 dense, spiciform arrays.
in loose, racemiform arrays.
3.8–4.5(–5) mm;
pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate.
3–3.5 mm;
pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate.
globose, sometimes becoming elongate rhizomes.
globose to subglobose.
= 20.
Liatris pycnostachya
Liatris gracilis
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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.)
1. Corms globose; stems usually glabrous or sparsely pilose except near heads (where sparsely piloso-puberulent); leaves glabrous | var. pycnostachya |
1. Corms globose to elongate; stems moderately to densely piloso-puberulent; leaves moderately to densely piloso-puberulent to nearly glabrous | var. lasiophylla |
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