Few, if any, native flowering plants attract more attention in a garden than liatris (Liatris spp), aka blazing star or gayfeather. It is a perennial plant that blooms primarily in August. The flowers ...

Understanding the Context

The dense blazing star is and eye-catching wildflower that shoots up tall wands of purple flowers in the summer. It is unusual among Liatris species in its preference for wetter areas. It makes an ... Liatris, also known as blazing star or gayfeather, is a long-blooming perennial wildflower.

Key Insights

It has highly unusual flower heads featuring tiny and colorful star-like blossoms arranged around a long upright bottlebrush spire. There are about 40 species of liatris, most native to the prairies and meadows of eastern and central North America. All are very similar in culture and growth habit, so pick plants that suit your preference of height and flower color. Liatris is a summer-blooming perennial with grassy foliage and fuzzy, bottle-brush flowers. Commonly known as blazing star or gayfeather, this North American wildflower makes an attractive addition to flower gardens, cutting gardens, landscaped areas and informal plantings.

Final Thoughts

Native to North American prairies, Liatris is a striking drought-tolerant perennial that attracts butterflies and resists deer. What is Liatris? Liatris, known as blazing star, features striking vertical spikes of purple, pink, or white flowers that bloom uniquely top-down. If you want to attract both butterflies and bees to your garden this year, try growing liatris. This perennial corm flowers in mid summer with a blast of purple flowers that are a magnet for them. Liatris belongs to the aster family, with each flower head having only fluffy disk flowers (resembling "blazing stars") and no ray flowers.

The feathery flower heads of liatris give rise to another common name of gayfeather. Liatris species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species such as moths of the genus Schinia. Liatris is in the tribe Eupatorieae of the aster family. Like other members of this tribe, the flower heads have disc florets and no ray florets.