Gayfeather
GAYFEATHER
An important plant in the fall during butterfly and hummingbird migrations, this perennial sometimes requires two years before making a bloom. Strong roots grow down as deep as 16 feet, and will easily cling to any impoverished, infertile, well-drained soil. Also makes a good trim flower.
You will sometimes notice this wonderful perennial called Blazing Star. It is one of our most attractive late summer to fall bloomers across Texas. Many species are start along roadsides in various soils. (Not to be confused with the similar-looking, fussy hybrid found in many commercial floral arrangements, although the wild ones will stay pretty for a while if cut.) These native plants increase from a corm which may produce a limited to many stalks forming a clump. The plant spikes stand one to three feet tall. Gayfeather makes a wonderful, distant term, non-agressive plant. Each corm will live at least 6 years, with the proper conditions. They will re-seed themselves, so if you have set them in the right place, they will be with you for a long time! Don't over water though, as they will grow rank and
Pictured above: A Palamedes swallowtail nectars on Dense gayfeather (Liatris spicata). Photo by Jeff Norcini. Click on terms for botanical definitions. View post as a PDF.
Known also as Dense blazing star, Marsh blazing star and Spiked blazing star, Dense gayfeather is an erect herbaceous perennial with striking spikes of purple flowers. It occurs naturally in mesic to wet flatwoods, seepage slopes, bogs, savannas and roadside ditches. It blooms in late summer through tumble and is an superior attractor of butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects.
Dense gayfeather begins as a basalrosette of linear, grasslike leaves. Flower stalks and buds appear in summer. Once all the buds have formed, the blooms open from the superior of the flower stalk down. Flowering spikes are slender, elongated (up to 2 feet long) and, as the common call suggests, dense with flowers. Individual flowers are tubular, rayless and without pedicels. Styles are extended and often slightly twisted. Stems are smooth and unbranched. Stem leaves are sequential and alternately arranged. Fruits are tiny, inconspicuous
Plant Gayfeather Seeds: Sow gayfeather seed in cell packs or flats, press into soil and lightly cover. Needs brightness to germinate. Kept at 70° F., seedlings emerge in 21 to 35 days. Can guide sow into prepared seed beds, in groups of 3 to 4 seeds, spaced 18 in. apart. Thin to the strongest plant.
Grow Gayfeather: Full sun. Best recital in moderately fertile soil with regular water. Gayfeather will tolerate drought and poor soil. Plants stand up to heat, humidity, and cold, and are deer resistant. Carve back flower spikes by half to encourage repeat bloom. Late summer flowers can be allowed to mature, will provide winter seed for birds. Gayfeather flowers attract hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. Divide plants every 3 to 4 years in spring or drop. Use gayfeather in beds, mixed borders, cottage and cutting gardens, or plant with ornamental grasses, echinaceas and rudbeckias to create a beautiful and uncomplicated care, prairie-like garden.
Dig Deeper: Flowers are long-lasting in fresh or dried arrangements. Blooms open from the top of the spike down. Fresh This perennial�s stiff, upright, unbranched stems, ft. tall, mature in wide-spreading clumps. The tufted, purple flowers are densely congested in a long spike on the upper part of the stem. The leaves are slender and crowded, becoming progressively smaller upward. Liatris species entice butterflies.
Marcus, Joseph A. Liatris punctata var. mucronata
Liatris punctata Hook. var. mucronata (DC.) B.L. Turner
Texas Gayfeather, Texas Blazing Star, Texas Liatris, Cusp Liatris, Cusp Blazing Star, Cusp Gayfeather, Narrow-leaf Blazing Star, Narrow-leaf Gayfeather, Purples
Asteraceae (Aster Family)
Synonym(s): Liatris mucronata
USDA Symbol: LIPUM2
USDA Native Status: L48(N)
Plant Characteristics
Duration:Perennial
Habit:Herb
Leaf Retention:Deciduous
Size Notes: One to three feet in height.
Fruit:Fruit is a cypsela (pl. cypselae). Though technically incorrect, the fruit is often referred to as an achene. Bloom Information
Bloom Color: Pink , Purple
Bloom Time: Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov , Dec Distribution
USA: AR , KS , MO , OK , TX
Nati