Leaf
AfroBrazilian, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Gayfeather
Liatris spicata
Also known as: Blazing star, Button snakeroot, Liatris
Family: Asteraceae
40 to 90 cm tall
Sunny beds and borders, planted from corms, free-draining soil
Flowering: July – September
Full sun
Hardy to about -25°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Unlike most spike-flowered plants, the flowers of gayfeather open first at the top of the spike and then progress downwards.
🍃 Leaves
Linear, narrow, arranged in a dense tuft at the base of the stem
🌸 Flowers
Small purple-pink flower heads packed along an upright spike, opening from the top to the base
🍎 Fruits
Dry achene with a pappus of bristles
🪵 Bark
Not applicable — herbaceous plant with a corm
🗺️ Distribution
Native to the prairies of eastern North America
🐝 Value for pollinators
Very attractive to butterflies, including monarchs in its native range, and to bees
✂️ Horticultural uses
Beds, borders and a cut flower much appreciated for the longevity of its spike
🌱 Known cultivars
'Kobold'
The cultivar 'Kobold' forms shorter, denser flower spikes than the typical species, on a markedly more compact plant.
🌿 Other Asteraceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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