Pinkscale Blazing Star (Liatris elegans)

August 3^rd - 17^th, 2012.  On August 3^rd we found Liatris elegans (Pinkscale Blazing Star) in the Ogeechee Wildlife Management Area in Hancock County, Georgia - the second time we’ve found this wildflower in Hancock County. The stems stand about 15 to 18 inches tall. They were just beginning to bloom on August 3^rd.

 The stem showing alternatively arranged, simple leaves.

 Blooms developing along the stem

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 On August 3^rd, these stems had a single bloom at the tip of the stalk.

 On August 17^th, the stems had many more flowers along their length

 A closer view of blooms

 More blooms at the tip

A closer view of multiple blooms at the tip. These were photographed in October, 2010.

Liatris elegans (Pinkscale Blazing Star, Common Elegant Blazing Star) is native to the  United States where it’s found in southern states from South Carolina west to Oklahoma and Texas. In Georgia, it’s been documented in counties of the coastal plain including Hancock County.

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Identification resources:

- Southeastern Flora: Liatris elegans (Pinkscale Blazing Star)

- Name that Plant: Native and Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas and Georgia: Liatris elegans (Common Elegant Blazing Star)
- Alabama Plants: Liatris elegans (Pinkscale Grayfeather)

 

Distribution:

- United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Liatris elegans (Pinkscale Blazing Star)

- University of North Carolina Herbarium: Liatris elegans

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