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Meadow Blazing Star
Liatris ligulistylis

a.k.a. Northern Blazing Star

This tall, native perennial herb produces a brilliant, rosy-purple flower spike. A great nectar source and butterfly garden plant. This species does well in most landscape designs, including rain gardens as long as the water depth is 6" or less and dissipates within a day. Many cultivars are available that can be mistaken for the native variety. Seedlings and seeds take a couple of years to flower.

USDA symbol: LILI

General Information

Plant TypeForb
Height3 to 5 feet
Light ExposureSun, Part Sun
Soil MoistureMedium
Bloom ColorPurple
Meadow Blazing Star (Meadow Blazing Star<div><em class="small">Liatris ligulistylis</em></div>)
Photo credit: Ecoscapes (Click to enlarge)

Tolerances

Flooding / Inundation ToleranceModerate
General Resilience6
Salt ToleranceMedium
Stress ToleranceGeneral Disturbance

Pollinator Value: High

Bloom MonthsJuly to September
Pollinator BenefitInsect Pollinated, Provides Nectar, Stem Nesting, Supports Generalists

Project Planning

Project TypeRain Garden, Sandy or Engineered Soils, Shoreline Buffer
Coefficient of Conservatism7
Herbivore SensitivityLow
LifespanPerennial
Rate of SpreadSlow
Soil StabilizationShallow
Vegetative ReproductionClonal

Range

CountyAnoka, Becker, Beltrami, Benton, Blue Earth, Brown, Carver, Cass, Chisago, Clay, Clearwater, Cottonwood, Crow Wing, Dakota, Dodge, Douglas, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Grant, Hennepin, Houston, Hubbard, Itasca, Kandiyohi, Kittson, Le Sueur, Lincoln, Mahnomen, Marshall, Martin, McLeod, Meeker, Morrison, Mower, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Norman, Olmsted, Otter Tail, Pennington, Pipestone, Polk, Pope, Ramsey, Red Lake, Redwood, Renville, Rice, Roseau, Sherburne, Sibley, Stearns, Steele, Todd, Traverse, Wabasha, Wadena, Washington, Watonwan, Wilkin, Wright, Yellow Medicine
EcoregionDriftless Area, Lake Agassiz Plain, North Central Hardwood Forests, Northern Glaciated Plains, Northern Lakes and Forests, Northern Minnesota Wetlands, Western Cornbelt Plains
Approximate Eco ProvinceEastern Broadleaf Forest, Laurentian Mixed Forest, Prairie Parkland, Tallgrass Aspen Parklands