Kendall County (IL) Forest Preserve District
Prairie
Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
[C-value
8]
Aster family (Asteraceae)
Blooms mid-July
- mid-September
The spectacular native Prairie
Blazing Star is uncommon in our area. It
prefers full sun and moist to slightly moist
soil. Habitats include slightly moist black soil prairies, moist meadows
near woodlands or streams and
prairie remnants along railroads. It is a
perennial with a light green, erect,
fairly stout, central stem up to 4' tall
usually covered with scattered white hairs. The narrow leaves near the base of
the plant are up to 10" long and ½" wide, but smaller and more numerous as they ascend alternately around the stem. The stems
terminate in magnificent, showy, compact spikes of rose-pink to
purplish pink tufted
flowerheads. Each flowerhead is about ¼–½" across with
5-10 flowers. Each small flower has 5 petals that spread outward from the
corolla tube from which emerges 2 long curly
styles.
Prairie Blazing Star at Maramech Forest Preserve July 30, 2014
Blazing Stars are one of the few species that bloom from the top down.
Prairie Blazing Star along Route 71 August 20, 2013
Prairie Blazing Star at Hoover Forest Preserve native garden July 20, 2015
Prairie Blazing Star at Hoover Forest Preserve native garden July 20, 2015
Prairie Blazing Star fall seedhead at Hoover Forest Preserve native garden October 29, 2014
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