prairie wildflower

Rough blazing star

Liatris aspera

Also known as Tall Blazing Star, Tall Gayfeather, Tall Liatris, Rough Gayfeather, Rough Liatris, Button Snakeroot

Native to much of the USA and southern Canada

Southern Ontario to West Virginia and South Carolina, west to North Dakota and eastern Texas

Light Full sun Sun tolerance
Moisture Dry Moisture preference
Zones 3–9 Cold to heat range
Bloom Jul–Sep Flowering time
Height up to 6 ft to 1.8 m
Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial

Full details, see below

In the garden

A prairie wildflower for full sun and lean, dry soil. Its pink and purple flowers peak in August. At up to 6 ft, it needs room in meadows and sunny borders. It shrugs off drought once established. Hardy in USDA zones 3–9.

Growing conditions

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Hardiness zones

Find your zone:

When it blooms

The Rough blazing star's pink and purple flowers bloom July to September, peaking in August. This late-summer display draws butterflies and bees.

Rough blazing star blooms pink & purpleFoliage

Pollinators & wildlife

Butterflies Monarch

also Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, Pearl Crescent +15 more
Fiery Skipper, Painted Lady, American Lady, Orange Sulphur, Great Spangled Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Zabulon Skipper, Peck's Skipper, Tawny-edged Skipper, Aphrodite Fritillary, Arogos Skipper, Cynthia cardui, Leonard's Skipper, Polites coras, Clossiana toddi ammiralis
Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also Eastern Carpenter Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee, American Bumble Bee +10 more
Bombus fervidus, Red-belted Bumble Bee, European Woolcarder Bee, Black-and-gold Bumble Bee, Half-black Bumble Bee, Lemon Cuckoo Bumble Bee, Brown-winged Striped Sweat Bee, Rusty-patched Bumble Bee, broad-handed leafcutter bee, Southern Plains Bumble Bee
Moths Yellow-collared Scape Moth

also Corn Earworm Moth, Dingy Cutworm Moth, Inornate Pyrausta Moth +1 more
Blazing Star Clearwing
Also visited by
- Beetles: Goldenrod Soldier Beetle, northern corn rootworm
- Flower flies: Margined Calligrapher, Thick-legged Hover Fly
- Hummingbirds: Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Butterflies that use this plant

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Full plant details

Where it grows

Habitat: PrairieThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: Much of the USA and southern CanadaUnited States (27): AL, AR, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NY, OH, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV. Canada (2): MB, ON. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Southern Ontario to West Virginia and South Carolina, west to North Dakota and eastern TexasThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Growing conditions

Light: Full sunHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: DryThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 3–9 · Canadian 4–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Sandy or rocky soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
Drought tolerance: HighRelative to plants of the same type and region, inferred from where it grows, not a days-without-water figure.

Growth & form

Height: up to 6 ft (to 1.8 m)Typical mature height.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).

Flowers, foliage & fruit

Type: WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: Jul–SepWhen it flowers.
Flower color: Pink, PurpleThe bloom color, or colors.
Fruit/Seeds: Achene; ripens Aug–OctThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
Toxicity: None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.