Liatris pycnostachya
Liatris elegans
cat-tail gayfeather, prairie blazing star, prairie gayfeather, thick-spike blazing star
elegant gayfeather, pinkscale blazing star, pinkscale gayfeather
glabrous or densely piloso-puberulent.
puberulent to hirsute-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 on relatively distant internodes usually withering before flowering) proximal cauline 1-nerved, narrowly oblanceolate, 60–200(–300) × 3–8 mm, gradually or abruptly reduced distally (becoming slightly to strongly deflexed), essentially glabrous or sparsely puberulent, gland-dotted.
usually 0, rarely (spreading to ascending) 1–2 mm.
usually 0, sometimes 1–5(–10) mm.
campanulate-cylindric, 7–9(–10) × 3.5–5 mm.
turbinate-cylindric, 12–20 × 4–6 mm.
(4–)5–8;
corolla tubes glabrous inside.
4–5;
corolla tubes glabrous 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, narrowly lanceolate-triangular, unequal, strigose to strigoso-hispid, margins with hyaline borders, apices (at least inner) prolonged, spreading, ± dilated, petaloid (pink, purplish, white, or yellow).
in dense, spiciform arrays.
in dense, spiciform arrays.
3.8–4.5(–5) mm;
pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate.
3.5–5(–6) mm;
pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles plumose.
globose, sometimes becoming elongate rhizomes.
depressed-globose or globose to napiform.
Liatris pycnostachya
Liatris elegans
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Varieties 4 (4 in the flora).
Variety elegans extends across the geographic range of the species; the other three varieties form local enclaves essentially imbedded within var. elegans and sporadically intergrading with it at points of contact (see further comments under 10d. var. kralii).
(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 |
1. Phyllary apices petaloid, blue, lavender, magenta, or pink, ± elongate and recurving, petaloid portions short relative to herbaceous bases | → 2 |
1. Phyllary apices petaloid, usually yellowish to creamy white, rarely pale lavender to rose, recurving to slightly flaring or nearly straight, petaloid portions elongate or relatively short relative to bases | → 3 |
2. Corms depressed-globose | var. elegans |
2. Corms elongate, tapering | var. carizzana |
3. Heads usually crowded (peduncles 0); phyllary apices creamy white (rarely pale lavender), sometimes initially lemon yellow fading to creamy white, elongate and recurving, petaloid portions short relative to herbaceous bases | var. bridgesii |
3. Heads well spaced; phyllary apices light yellow or cream (rarely pale lavender), flaring-divergent slightly or not at all, petaloid portions elongate relative to herbaceous bases | var. kralii |
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