Liatris mucronata Narrow-Leaf Gayfeather, Bottlebrush Blazingstar
(lee-AH-tris  muh-kron-AH-tuh)
Easyliving Native Perennial Wildflowers
Native Wild Flower Seeds & Plants for Home Landscaping & Prairie Restoration

Liatris mucronata Narrowleaf Gayfeather Photo by cj    

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Liatris mucronata Narrow0leaf Gayfeather potted plants (SOLD OUT) $5 each plus UPS shipping,
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Liatris mucronata, Narrow-leaf Gayfeather or Bottlebrush Blazing Star, produces 1/2 inch rose-purple flower heads found tightly clustered on several dense leafy wand-like spikes growing up to 2 1/2 feet tall.  The leaves are less than 1/4 inch wide and up to 6 inches long.  The critters love of Liatris mucronata is evident by the visits of many butterflies and  hummingbirds.  In addition its seeds are eaten by goldfinches and other songbirds.  This plant is also called Bottlebrush Blazingstar and is at home when planted in the rock garden with Sporobolus (Prairie Dropseed), Rudbeckia (Missouri Black-eyed Susan), and Callirhoe (Purple Poppy Mallow). 

Liatris mucronata Narrowleaf Gayfeather seed germination is improved after a pretreatment of 8 to 12 weeks of cold moist stratification or when planted outside in the fall or early winter.

This critter loving plant occurs naturally on limestone glades, bald knobs, and dry prairies from Texas and Oklahoma, north and east to Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska.   Asteraceae (Aster Family)

The map below shows areas where Liatris mucronata Narrowleaf Gayfeather plants grow wild but it can be planted and will grow over most of the Midwest and Eastern US.  USDA plant hardiness zones 3 to 9.

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Easyliving Wildflowers
PO Box  522
Willow Springs,  Mo.  65793
phone-fax 417-469-2611 

Liatris mucronata Narrowleaf Gayfeather  Plant distribution map complements of USDA, NRCS. 2001. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.1
  (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Liatris mucronata 
Blazing star, Cusp blazing star, Cusp gayfeather, Gay-feather, Narrow-leaf gayfeather
Asteraceae (Aster Family)
USDA Symbol: LIMU
USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

Liatris mucronata's stiff upright unbranched stems 1-3 ft. tall grow in wide-spreading clumps. The tufted purple flowers are densely congested in a long spike on the upper part of the stem. The leaves are narrow and crowded becoming progressively smaller upward.

Liatris species attract butterflies. 

Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Flower Size: 4 inch spires 5 inch spikes 7 inch spikes 8 inch spi Bloom Color: Pink , Purple
Bloom Time: Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov , Dec 

Distribution
USA: AR , KS , MO , OK , TX
Native Distribution: C. Great Plains s. to TX & adjacent Mex.
Native Habitat: Open fields & woods; calcareous uplands 

Growing Conditions
Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil pH: Acidic (pH<6.8)
CaCO3 Tolerance: High
Soil Description: Calcareous rocky soils. Gravelly Sandy Limestone-based
Conditions Comments: Narrowleaf gayfeather likes a dry to medium soil in full sun. Too much water will leads to root rot. Will self seed in a sandy soil. Tolerant of alkaline soils.
texas comments: Narrowleaf gayfeather likes a dry to medium soil in full sun. It makes a good cutflower that will hold its color for a long time. Too much water will lead to root rot. It will self seed in a sandy soil. It is tolerant of alkaline soils.

Use Ornamental: Perennial garden Rocky hillside Rock gardens
Use Wildlife: Liatris spp. attract butterflies.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Interesting Foliage: yes
Nectar Source: yes
Deer Resistant: Minimal