Dig into Plants: Dense Blazing Star

Alabama Outdoor Classroom Conservation Education Programs

Dense Blazing Star Other Common Names: Dense Gayfeather, Dense Liatris, Marsh Blazing Star, Marsh Gayfeather, Marsh Liatris Scientific Name: Liatris spicata Native to Alabama: Yes Alternate Native Species: Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris pycnostachya)
	Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Will Stuart Click on image to enlarge it

Learn more about...

Basic Plant Information
	I am a vascular plant with no woody stems above ground, so I am herbaceous. I do not keep leaves year-round, so I am deciduous. I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial. I can grow 2 - 5 feet high and 1 - 2 feet wide.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Stephanie Brundage Click on image to enlarge it

Ecological Benefits

Maintenance Notes
Dormant in winter. Flowers can be cut for an indoor vase. Flowers can be cut back in mid-summer to reduce height. When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds. Water should reach all roots. Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves. Requires moist to wet soil at all times.
Moist to wet soil at all times: water three times per week.

Habitat Requirements

This plant prefers:
Full Sun (6+ hours of sun per day)	Prefers moist or wet soil at all times	Well-drained, Acidic, or Moist Soil

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

LEAF DESCRIPTION				Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center James L. Reveal Click on image to enlarge it
Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)

Shape: Cordate	Margin: Entire/Smooth	Arrangement: Alternate	Form: Simple


Description:
Grass-like leaves are up to 12 inches long and clump towards the base of the plant, but extend upward to a showy flower cluster; basal leaves are alternate and form a rosette and are larger; stem leaves gradually decrease in size toward the top


FLOWER DESCRIPTION			Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center R. W. Smith Click on image to enlarge it
Flower Shapes Chart (JPG)

Color: Purple	Shape: Tubular	Bloom Months: Jul - Sep

Description:
Flowers are produced in heads that are arranged in dense spikes (6 – 12 inches long) at the ends of stalks; the heads are rounded, fluffy, and grow directly from the stalk; each head has 5-8 tubular disk florets (tubular, fertile floret that forms disk); one or more flower stalks arise from base of plant


SEED DESCRIPTION			USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database Steve Hurst Click on image to enlarge it

Type: Fruit - Dry Seed Pod	Description: Fruit has crown of bristles	Months in Seed: Summer - Fall

Plant spreads by:
Seeds and Rhizomes/ Tubers/ Roots & Shoots Easy to establish by seed; can also spread via underground roots

Plant Life Cycle
Plant Life Cycle: All plants start life as a seed. The seed turns into a sprout when it grows roots. The sprout becomes a seedling as grows a stem and leaves above the ground. After the seedling becomes an adult plant it will grow flowers.
	General Plant Life Cycle - Dreamstime Click on image to enlarge it

Plant Life Cycle continues: After the flowers finish blooming, each flower turns into a seed. When the seeds fall down to the ground, the plant life cycle starts again. Each seed can become a plant if it has the food, water and space that it needs to grow.
	Wikimedia Density Click on image to enlarge it

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign:
Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign:
Editable Word Doc

QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)

INFORMATION SOURCES FOR THIS PLANT

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's Plant Database		USDA Plants Database
Alabama Plant Atlas		Alabama Butterfly Atlas
Missouri Botanical Garden		Illinois Wildflowers

Other Plants Found in Alabama with Similar Ecological Benefits:

Tall Blazing Star
(Liatris aspera)

Dwarf Blazing Stars
(Liatris cylindracea)

Pink-scale Blazing Star
(Liatris elegans)

Large Blazing Star
(Liatris scariosa)

Scaly Blazing Star
(Liatris squarrosa)