Liatris cylindracea

Liatris cylindracea (known as barrelhead blazing star,[1] cylindric or cylindrical blazing star,[2][3] Ontario blazing star,[4][5][2] or dwarf blazing star[5]) is a plant species in the family Asteraceae. It is native to eastern North America, where its populations are concentrated in the Midwestern United States.[6] It is found in habitats such as prairies, limestone and sandstone outcroppings, bluffs, barrens, glades, woodlands and dunes.

Liatris cylindracea
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Liatris
Species:
L. cylindracea
Binomial name
Liatris cylindracea

Description

The cylindrical blazing star grows from rounded or sometimes elongated corms, which produce hairless stems 20–60 cm (8–24 in) tall. At the top of the stem is a single flower head or a loose to dense cluster (raceme, spike, or panicle) of 2 to 28 flower heads. Each flower head has 10–35 florets, and is stemless or has a stem 2–10 mm (3⁄32–13⁄32 in) long that orients the head upwards. The flowers bloom in mid to late summer, starting at the top of the cluster.

The basal and cauline leaves usually have three nerves, though sometimes up to five. They are long and thin, ranging from 8 to 25 cm (3+1⁄4 to 9+3⁄4 in) long and 2 to 6 mm (3⁄32 to 1⁄4 in) wide. The leaves are mostly hairless or may have some hairs on the margins. Some plants in Kentucky and Missouri are hairy; this may indicate hybridization with Liatris hirsuta. The largest leaves are a little above the bottom of the stem; above that, the leaves become gradually smaller.

The seed are produced in fruits (cypselae) that are 5–7 mm (3⁄16–9⁄32 in) long with feathery pappi.[7]

Its roots can reach depths of 15 ft (4.6 m).[8]

References
  1. "Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States".
  2. Chayka, Katy; Dziuk, Peter (2016). "Liatris cylindracea (Cylindric Blazing Star)". Minnesota Wildflowers.
  3. Hilty, John (2020). "Cylindrical Blazingstar (Liatris cylindracea)". Illinois Wildflowers.
  4. "Liatris cylindracea". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  5. "Liatris cylindracea". Native Plant Database. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas at Austin.
  6. "Liatris cylindracea". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  7. Nesom, Guy L. (2006). "Liatris cylindracea". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 21. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  8. Natura, Heidi. "Root Systems of Prairie Plants" (PDF). Conservation Research Institute.


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