Blazing Star
Liatris × gladewitzii
- Native to:
- Canada, United States
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
- Family:
- Asteraceae
- Genus:
- Liatris
- Species:
- Liatris × gladewitzii
- USDA Symbol:
- LIGL3
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Geophyte
- Height:
- 120 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- Medium
- Bloom Months:
- aug,sep,oct
- Bloom Colors:
- purple, lavender
Wildlife Benefits
- Bees:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented bee visitation (GBIF)
- Butterflies & Moths:
- ★☆☆☆☆ Documented Lepidoptera association (GBIF)
Reported Fauna Sightings
Bees: Black and gold bumble bee (Bombus auricomus), Bombus Latreille, Brown-belted bumble (Bombus griseocollis), Confusing bumble (Bombus perplexus), Eastern Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica), Lemon cuckoo (Bombus citrinus), Pyrobombus Dalla, 🛑Rusty-patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis), Two-spotted bumble (Bombus bimaculatus), ⚠️Western honey bee (Apis mellifera), Yellow bumble (Bombus fervidus), Zadontomerus Ashmead Hummingbirds: Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) Moths:Ornate moth (Utetheisa ornatrix) Butterflies:American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis), Atalopedes Scudder, Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes), Broad-winged Skipper (Poanes viator), Carolina Satyr (Hermeuptychia sosybius), Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius), Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice), Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae), Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia), Crossline Skipper (Polites origenes), Delaware Skipper (Anatrytone logan), Dotted Skipper (Hesperia attalus), Eastern Tailed-Blue (Cupido comyntas), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Pterourus glaucus), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), Eufala Skipper (Lerodea eufala), Field Skipper (Atalopedes campestris), Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus), Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), Gulf Fritillary (Dione vanillae), Hairstreak sp. (Satyrium Scudder), Hoary Edge (Achalarus lyciades), Lace-winged Roadside-Skipper (Amblyscirtes aesculapius), Leonard's skipper (Hesperia leonardus), Little Yellow (Pyrisitia lisa), Long-tailed Skipper (Urbanus proteus), Meske's Skipper (Hesperia meskei), Northern Broken-Dash (Polites egeremet), Northern Cloudywing (Cecropterus Herrich-Schäffer), Ocola Skipper (Panoquina ocola), Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme), Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), Palamedes Swallowtail (Papilio palamedes), Palmetto Skipper (Euphyes arpa), Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos), Peck's skipper (Polites peckius), Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor), Red-banded Hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops), Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus), Sleepy Orange (Abaeis nicippe), Small White (Pieris rapae), Southern Broken-Dash (Polites otho), Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus), Spicebush Swallowtail (Pterourus troilus), Summer Azure (Celastrina neglecta), Tawny-edged Skipper (Polites themistocles), Twin-spot Skipper (Oligoria maculata), Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia), Wild Indigo Duskywing (Gesta Evans), Zabulon Skipper (Lon zabulon), Zarucco Duskywing (Erynnis zarucco)
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- butterflies, bees, birds
- Deer Resistant:
- Yes
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Resprouts vigorously from corm after fire, typical of prairie Liatris species.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- sandy, well-drained, nutrient-poor soil
- pH:
- 5.5 - 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- excellent drainage required
- Moisture:
- dry to moderate
- Notes:
- Prefers open, sunny habitats; drought-tolerant
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 30–60 days
- Germination Time:
- 14–28 days
- Notes:
- Seeds germinate readily after cold stratification. Surface sow as seeds need light for germination.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI