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Liatris elegans (Walter)Michx.
Pinkscale Gayfeather
Pinkscale Blazing Star
Florida native
A wildflower of sandhills and mesic longleaf pinelands in the panhandle and northern peninsula south to Flagler County on the east coast and Sumter and Pasco Counties on the west side of the state. The range extends through the southeastern coastal states from South Carolina to Texas, plus Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Liatris elegans has plumose pappus bristles, four to six flowers per head, with the heads all arranged in a terminal cluster. The flowers are pink, ranging in shade from white to purple, appearing in September and October. The finely haired stem can be up to 122 cm (4 ft.) tall with the lowest leaves linear and the upper leaves reduced and alternate.
Liatris elegans is a member of the Asteraceae - Aster family.
Other species of the Liatris genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Liatris gracilis - SLENDER GAYFEATHER
Liatris ohlingerae - FLORIDA GAYFEATHER
Liatris pauciflora var. pauciflora - FEWFLOWER GAYFEATHER
Liatris provincialis - GODFREY'S BLAZING STAR
Liatris spicata - DENSE GAYFEATHER
Liatris tenuifolia - SHORTLEAF BLAZING STAR
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Jul 09, 2024
