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Liatris species are native to North America, Mexico and the Bahamas, and of the 37 species, 28 are native to Texas. Common names can include Blazing Star and Gayfeather; while scientific plant names are specific, common plant names can be interchangeable, sometimes further modified by an adjective to distinguish individual species. An example is Cusp Gayfeather (Liatris mucronata), the subject of this article and sometimes called Texas Gayfeather.
Blossoms are small and form many tight clusters of pink to purple flowers on upright stems reaching 1-ft to 2-ft in height.
They begin to bloom from August through December with striking flowers and continue to add color to the garden after all other spring and summer flowers have gone to seed. They are also used as cut flowers in bouquets and flower arrangements.
The foliage of Liatris mucronata provides interest in the garden throughout the spring and summer. Leaves along the stems are typically thin and appear smaller towards the ends of the spikes. This perennial is deciduous; once the leaves have died back in late fall, the native plant gardener can cut the tall stems back to the ground, leaving the corms underground to produce new growth in the spring.
Liatris species provide the sole food source for the larva of two moths of the Schinia genus, and provide nectar for many other butterflies that include migrating Monarch populations.
Historically, Liatris species have also been used as a food source by ancient Native Americans; the corm, or bulbo-tuber, has been reported to be boiled, baked or eaten raw by various tribes. Medicinal uses have included relief for back-ache, pain in the limbs, dropsy and cough, and as a stimulant, as a diuretic, and as a treatment for venereal disease. Future medicinal applications are waiting to be discovered.
For the home owner, Liatris can add texture and color in xeriscape contexts. In the photo at right, a Liatris mucronata provides contrast to a Blackfoot Daisy (Melampodium leucanthum) against a background of decomposed granite. Located between the sidewalk and the curb, these dry soil loving natives were watered until established for a few months and since then have thrived under local rainfall. I have observed that the Blackfoot Daisy seems to respond favorably to rain fall and negatively to faucet water, even when it appears to be parched and in need of some water for its roots.
All photos by Bob Kamper
For those hard to reach areas for irrigation or other watering systems, Liatris provides several options and alternatives to cactus or succulents and as a bonus attracts butterflies to the garden.
It is usually found in natural habitats with poor soil; the worst thing you could do is to give it additional fertilizer, soil amendments and water.
My research for this article included, among other sources, the following web sites:
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Georgia Perimeter College Native Plant Garden
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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: rkamper
