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For Your Garden - September 2008
blazing-star (Liatris spp.)
Illinois Status: common, native
There are several species of blazing-star native to Illinois. Their tall spikes of purple flowers can be seen throughout the state from July until late fall. Most commonly associated with prairies, blazing-star varieties are also adapted to savannas, open woods, wet meadows, fens and sandy areas. The plants can grow to a height of about five feet. The stem is unbranched and is covered with a spiral of long, narrow leaves. The plant grows from a corm, an underground stem with scaly leaves that is similar in appearance to a bulb.
Classification and taxonomy are based on Mohlenbrock, Robert H. 2014. Vascular flora of Illinois: A field guide. Fourth edition. Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. 536 pp.
Illinois Range
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Habitats
Aquatic Habitats
wet prairies and fens
Prairie and Edge Habitats
black soil prairie; gravel prairie; hill prairie; sand prairie
Native Plant Information
For more information about Illinois native plants, visit our Native Habitat Descriptions, Requirements, and Plant Lists page. The following publications are available from the IDNR on our publications page.
