Blazing star is an erect perennial in the Asteraceae (daisy) family. It is clump-forming and grows up to 2 feet wide and 1.5 to 3 feet tall. Blooms appear midsummer to fall and flowers are fimbriated or dissected due to the protruding style branches. This Liatris has distinctive extra large flower heads, on long peduncles. The number of florets per head is greater than in most of the other blazing stars. The stems are stiff, erect, and loaded with short, grass-like leaves. This plant requires full sun to light shade in well-drained soils. It is tolerant of heat loads and is intolerant of wet winter soils. It is best grown from corms rather than seeds. This plant is found in dry woods and clearings in addition to being utilized in perennial beds, as a background plant, as a specimen plant, or as dried cut flowers. It adds a tall vertical accent to the back of the border. Blazing star can be used in a variety of gardens, including native, pollinator, rock, drought-tolerant, and cutting gardens. It can be used in the border or planted en masse. Quick ID Hints: Tall, unbranched grassy stems Terminal spike of small heads Flowers are tubular and fringe-looking Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: This plant has no serious pest or disease problems. Root-knot nematodes an occasional problem in southern gardens. Stems may need staking as they often lean with age. More information on Liatris .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Oblanceolate; Oblong
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Rough; Soft
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The leaves are sessile to subclasping and reduce in size as they go upward. The lower leaves are ovate to lanceolate, the upper leaves are smaller and linear. Up to 10" long, soft-hairy to rough.
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Spike
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
The bowl-shaped flower heads are in interrupted clusters, composed of disk flowers on diverging stalks. They are tubular and purplish to rose-pink to white in color. Style branches are exerted.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Cream/Tan
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Oval achene with seeds that have tufts of barbed hairs
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Stems are typically unbranched and crowded with leaves.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern and mid-western U.S.A
Distribution
AL , AR , CT , DE , GA , IL , IN , MA , MD , ME , MI , MO , MS , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OH , PA , RI , SC , TN , VA , WI , WV