North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Liatris squarrosa

Liatris squarrosa (L.) Michx.

scaly blazing star

Image ID: 9234
Image by: Ware, Richard & Teresa
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: LISQ
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Liatris squarrosa
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2023-09-23

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: LIATR
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Liatris
GENUS AUTHORITY: Gaertn. ex Schreb.
GENUS COMMON: Blazing star
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of 40-50 species, herbs, of e. and c. North America.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Nesom in FNA (2006c); Gaiser (1946)=Z; Cronquist (1980)=SE; Stucky & Pyne (1990); Godfrey (1948)=Y; Stucky (1991); Stucky (1992); Mayfield (2002). Key adapted in large part from FNA.

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: ASTERA
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Asteraceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: Dumortier 1822 or COMPOSITAE Giseke 1792
FAMILY COMMON: Aster Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 1500-1700 genera and 20,000-25,000 species, shrubs, herbs, trees, and vines, cosmopolitan in distribution.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Cronquist (1980)=SE throughout family treatment.

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Erect perennial found in dry woodlands, glades and barrens.
STEMS: Stems unbranched, hairy or smooth.
LEAVES: Leaves alternate, broadly linear, 4-9 in. long (reduced upward), mostly smooth.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Composite flowers (heads) sparsely arranged along a slightly zigzagged terminal spike; heads 1/2-3/4 in. wide; composed of 10-60 purple-pink, 5-lobed disk florets surrounded by red, feathery bristles and with 2 protruding style branches. spreading or erect, smooth or hairy, green bracts surround the cylindric base of each head.
FRUITS: Fruit a cluster of tufted achenes.
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 1-2 1/2 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate, Basal
LEAF COMPLEXITY:
LEAF RETENTION: Deciduous

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: May-Sep

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
				x	x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: Purple-pink

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
		x						x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Dry forests, Outcrops and glades, Woods margins
NATIVE RANGE: eastern United States

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Scaly Blazing-star has narrower foliage than other Liatris, as well as shorter flowering stalks. This species is typically upright, robust, and multibranched in habit. A mature plant produces hundreds of flowers. The species name squarrosa refers to the spreading tips of its involucral bracts. It is most commonly seen growing in dry open areas and along roadsides of the piedmont. This southeastern native perennial is a favorite of butterflies who feed upon its nectar.

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Average
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 3
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 9
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly, Butterfly Friendly, Hummingbird Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
20	HORT	2014-10-13	Summer	View
252	HORT	2008-09-29	Liloia	View
1535	HORT	2005-03-08	Bryan	View
1723	HORT	2005-01-01		View
1833	HORT	2006-10-01	Bryan	View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
18	2018-0004	2018-01-08	20	View
249	2011-0089	2011-05-04	252	View
404	2015-0050	2020-01-27	252	View
6688	1996-0341			View
8438	2005-0512	2005-12-20		View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
19	18	16	Liloia	2016-03-00	View
578	249	19	Liloia	2011-04-29	View
580	249	39	NCBG staff	2011-05-13	View
581	249	43	NCBG staff	2011-11-02	View
582	249	34	NCBG staff	2012-03-21	View
950	404	16	Liloia	2015-01-30	View
9453	6688	8	NCBG staff	1996-03-05	View
13943	404	15	Liloia	2021-08-09	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: LISQ
USDA Common Name: Scaly Blazing Star
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, CO, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NE, OH, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WV)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
COMMON NAME:
SYNONYMY:
PHENOLOGY:
HABITAT:
COMMENTS:
RANGE MAP:

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Asteraceae Dumortier 1822 or COMPOSITAE Giseke 1792 (Aster Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 1500-1700 genera and 20,000-25,000 species, shrubs, herbs, trees, and vines, cosmopolitan in distribution.
REFERENCE: Cronquist (1980)=SE throughout family treatment.

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Liatris Gaertn. ex Schreb. (Blazing star)
SUMMARY: A genus of 40-50 species, herbs, of e. and c. North America.
REFERENCE: Nesom in FNA (2006c); Gaiser (1946)=Z; Cronquist (1980)=SE; Stucky & Pyne (1990); Godfrey (1948)=Y; Stucky (1991); Stucky (1992); Mayfield (2002). Key adapted in large part from FNA.

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Liatris squarrosa in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Liatris squarrosa in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Liatris squarrosa in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Liatris squarrosa in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Liatris squarrosa in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Liatris squarrosa

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 9234 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 19369 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 9235 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)