rough blazing star

(Liatris aspera var. aspera f. benkei)

Conservation Status
rough blazing star (var. aspera f. benkei)
 
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

N4N5 - Apparently Secure to Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Rough blazing star (var. aspera f. benkei) is an erect, perennial forb that rises on one or two stems from a large, globe-shaped corm. It can be from 12 to 70 tall, though in Minnesota it is usually at least 20 and less than 48 in height.

The stems are erect, round, ribbed, leafy, green or dark red, unbranched, and rough to the touch. It is moderately to densely covered with short, stiff, curled, upward-pointed hairs. It is often mostly hairless near the base.

Basal leaves are broadly lance-shaped to narrowly elliptic, 3 to 10 long, and ¼ to 1 wide. They are on leaf stalks up to 4 long. They have 1 main vein. The upper and lower surfaces are rough to the touch due to a sparse to dense covering of minute, stiff hairs. The margins are untoothed.

Lower stem leaves are similar, alternate, linear, ¾ to 3½ long, and 1 16 to ¼ wide, becoming stalkless and gradually smaller as they ascend the stem. There are 25 to 90 stem leaves below the inflorescence.

The inflorescence is an unbranched, elongated, 6 to 13¾ long, spike-like cluster of 10 or more flower heads at the end of the stem. The heads are loosely to densely spaced and the axis of the inflorescence is usually visible between the heads. They are stalkless or are on stalks that are 1 32 to long, though usually no more than 3 16 long. The stalks are spreading or sharply bent downward. They usually have a single, small, leaf-like bract at the base.

The flower heads are about 1 wide. The terminal head is not longer than the others. The whorl of bracts at the base of the flower head (involucre) is broadly cup-shaped to broadly bell-shaped, to long, and to ¾ in diameter. The bracts making up the involucre are in 4 or 5 overlapping series. They are broadly inversely egg-shaped to oblong spatula-shaped. The lower (outer) and middle series are spreading or bent backward. They have rounded, blistery projections on the back, making them appear inflated. They have broad, thin, pale or purple to transparent margins. The margins are strongly bent upwards and appear irregularly torn.

The flower head has 14 to 34, usually 18 to 24, disk florets and no ray florets. Each disk floret has 5 petals fused for most of their length into a tube then separated at the tip into 5 spreading lobes. The corolla tube is white and 3 16 to ¼ long. There are 5 stamens concealed within the corolla tube and a long, white, forked style that protrudes well beyond the tip of the corolla tube. There is no fragrance.

The fruit is an achene with hair-like bristles attached. The bristles are feather-like (plumose), though this may be difficult to see without a hand lens.

 
     
 

Height

 
 

20 to 48

 
     
 

Flower Color

 
 

Pink

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
 

Northern plains blazing star (Liatris ligulistylis) flower heads are on longer stalks.

Rough blazing star (Liatris aspera var. intermedia) upper and lower leaf surfaces are hairless.

 
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Dry to moderate moisture. Prairies, wood openings. Sandy soil. Full sun.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

July to October

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

 

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

7, 29.

 
  4/6/2023      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

 

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)  
  Superorder Asteranae  
 

Order

Asterales (sunflowers, bellflowers, fanflowers, and allies)  
 

Family

Asteraceae (sunflowers, daisies, asters, and allies)  
  Subfamily Asteroideae  
  Supertribe Helianthodae  
  Tribe Eupatorieae (bonesets, blazingstars, and allies)  
  Subtribe Liatrinae  
 

Genus

Liatris (blazing stars)  
  Species Liatris aspera (rough blazing star)  
  Variety Liatris aspera var. aspera (rough blazing star)  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

 

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
  Lacinaria aspera  
       
 

Common Names

 
 

lacerate blazing star

rough blazing star

rough gayfeather

tall blazing star

tall gayfeather

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Achene

A dry, one-chambered, single-seeded fruit, formed from a single carpel, with the seed attached to the membranous outer layer (wall) only by the seed stalk; the wall, formed entirely from the wall of the superior ovary, does not split open at maturity, but relies on decay or predation to release the contents.

 

Bract

Modified leaf at the base of a flower stalk, flower cluster, or inflorescence.

 

Corm

A short, solid, vertical, thickened, underground stem that serves as a storage organ.

 

Corolla

A collective name for all of the petals of a flower.

 

Involucre

A whorl of bracts beneath or surrounding a flower or flower cluster.

 

Linear

Long, straight, and narrow, with more or less parallel sides, like a blade of grass.

 

Plumose

Feathery; having fine, pinnately arranged, lateral bristles or hairs arranged on both sides of an axis.

 
 
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Plant

 
    rough blazing star (var. aspera f. benkei)   rough blazing star (var. aspera f. benkei)  
           
 

Inflorescence

 
    rough blazing star (var. aspera f. benkei)   rough blazing star (var. aspera f. benkei)  
           
    rough blazing star (var. aspera f. benkei)   rough blazing star (var. aspera f. benkei)  
           
 

Leaves

 
    rough blazing star (var. aspera f. benkei)      
           
 

Stem

 
    rough blazing star (var. aspera f. benkei)      

 

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