Liatris (), commonly known as gayfeather and blazing star is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Eupatorieae within the family Asteraceae native to North America (Canada, United States, Mexico and the Bahamas). Some species are used as ornamental plants, sometimes in flower bouquets. They are perennials, surviving the winter and resprouting from underground corms.
Liatris species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species such as moths of the genus Schinia.
Classification
Liatris is in the tribe Eupatorieae of the aster family. Like other members of this tribe, the flower heads have disc florets and no ray florets. Liatris is in the subtribe Liatrinae along with Trilisa, Carphephorus, and other genera. Liatris is closely related to Garberia, a genus with only one species endemic to Florida. The two genera can be distinguished by the shrub form of the latter and by karyotype.
Species
Species in the genus include:
Liatris acidota – sharp blazing star, Gulf Coast blazing star - TX LA
Liatris aestivalis – summer blazing star - TX OK
Liatris aspera – tall blazing star - ONT, United States (Mississippi Valley, Great Lakes, scattered locales in East)
Liatris borealis - Allegheny Mountains of PA
Liatris × boykinii - GA AL
Liatris bracteata – bracted blazing star - TX
Liatris chapmanii – Chapman's blazing star - FL GA AL
Liatris cokeri – Coker's blazing star - NC SC
Liatris compacta – scaly blazing star - AR OK
Liatris creditonensis - ONT
Liatris cylindracea – Ontario blazing star, fewhead blazing star - ONT, central + southeastern United States
Liatris cymosa – branched blazing star - TX
Liatris × deamii
Liatris densispicata - MN
Liatris elegans – pinkscale blazing star, elegant blazing star - TX OK AR LA MS AL FL GA SC
Liatris elegantula – shaggy blazing star - TN MS AL GA FL
Liatris fallacior - ND
Liatris × frostii - MN MO
Liatris garberi – Garber's blazing star - FL...
