BLAZING STAR
File Size: 163 KB
 
Liatris squarrosa   (L. ) Michx.  var. glabrata  (Rydb. ) Gaiser
Russell County, Kansas
Perennial
Height: 1-2 feet
Family: Asteraceae - Sunflower Family
Flowering Period:   June, July, August, September
Also Called: Smooth gayfeather.
Stems: Erect, often several, glabrous.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, linear, 4 to 10 inches long, to 1/2 inch wide, rigid, glabrous; margins entire; upper leaves reduced in size.
Inflorescences: Raceme-like to spike-like; heads usually few, short stalked or sessile, to 1/2 inch wide, terminal ones often largest; bracts often much longer than heads, overlapping, glabrous; tips tapering to points, curving back and downward or spreading.
Flowers: Ray florets absent; disk florets 10-60, corollas purplish, pubescent within.
Fruits: Achenes, cylindric, usually 10-ribbed, tipped with feather-like bristles, enclosing small seed.
Habitat: Dry, sandy, upland prairies.
Distribution: West 3/4 of Kansas.

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