Native Plants

Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:

Smith, Sandy

Liatris aestivalis

Liatris aestivalis G.L. Nesom & R. O'Kennon

Summer Gayfeather, Summer Blazing Star, Summer Liatris

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: LIAE3

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

From the Image Gallery

2 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Herb
Root Type: Tuberous
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Shape: Linear
Leaf Margin: Entire
Leaf Apex: Acute
Leaf Texture: Leathery
Inflorescence: Spike
Size Notes: Flowering spikes 8-22 inches tall.
Leaf: Green
Fruit: Fruit is a cypsela (pl. cypselae). Though technically incorrect, the fruit is often referred to as an achene.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Purple
Bloom Time: Jul , Aug , Sep
Bloom Notes: Earlier than most Liatris species, flowering begins in mid-July and continues until late August or sometimes into early September.

Distribution

USA: OK , TX
Native Distribution: Known native range limited to north-central Texas and south-central Oklahoma.
Native Habitat: Blackland prairies, pine-oak woodlands and oak-juniper woodlands. One population grows in sandy soils.

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil pH: Alkaline (pH>7.2)
Drought Tolerance: High
Heat Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: Grows in thin soils on limestone outcrops.

Benefit

Use Ornamental: Potentially useful in landscapes, though small native populations should preclude wild collecting.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

Additional resources

USDA: Find Liatris aestivalis in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Liatris aestivalis in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Liatris aestivalis

Metadata

Record Modified: 2022-12-29
Research By: Joseph A. Marcus

Go back