Liatris scariosa
Liatris provincialis
devil's bite, northern gayfeather
Godfrey's blazing star, Godfrey's gayfeather
puberulent (at least distally, sometimes glabrous proximally).
hirtellous.
basal and proximal cauline 1-nerved, elliptic- to oblanceolate-spatulate, 120–300 × 25–50(–55) mm, abruptly, gradually, or little reduced distally, essentially glabrous, weakly, if at all, gland-dotted.
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.
usually (ascending) 10–50 mm.
0.
campanulate to turbinate-campanulate, 11–15 × (12–)15–22(–25) mm.
cylindric, 9–11 × 3–5 mm.
19–80;
corolla tubes usually pilose inside, sometimes glabrous (Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri).
3–4;
corolla tubes glabrous inside.
in (3–)4–5 series, (erect or outer sometimes spreading-reflexing) oblong-obovate to broadly obovate (not bullate), unequal, glabrous or minutely puberulent, margins usually with relatively narrow, hyaline borders, apices broadly rounded.
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).
in racemiform arrays.
in dense, spiciform arrays (spreading to ascending, not strongly overlapping).
4.5–6(–6.5) mm;
pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate.
4–5.5 mm;
pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate.
subglobose.
globose to elongate.
Liatris scariosa
Liatris provincialis
Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).
(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.)
1. Stems with 8–20(–25) leaves or leafy bracts proximal to heads; florets 20–40(–50) | var. scariosa |
1. Stems with 20–85 leaves or leafy bracts proximal to heads; florets 30–80. | → 2 |
2. Proximal cauline leaves mostly 25–50(–55) mm wide, hirtello-puberulent (and gland-dotted) | var. nieuwlandii |
2. Proximal cauline leaves mostly 7–20(–26) mm wide, glabrous or hirtello-puberulent (weakly, if at all, gland-dotted) | var. novaeangliae |
IL Wildflowers
MD Biodiversity
MI Flora
MO Plants
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
