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Cylindrical blazing star is a more open plant than the other Jackson Park blazing stars, with the flowerheads relatively widely spaced along the 2-4" long racemes that are perched atop a 1-1.5' tall, unbranched stem. The showy flowerheads are pink or purplish-pink, about 1/2-3/4" in diameter, sessile or held on up to 3/4" stalks, with 15-25 disk flowers and no ray flowers; the base of the flowerheads is covered with 5-7 layers of scale-like, overlapping bracts with a sharp tip that together form a slim cylinder ~3/4" long and 1/3" diameter. The disk florets are tubular with five recurved triangular flaps at their apex; a pinkish white style, surrounded at its base by the five closely-packed yellowish-brown anthers and divided distally into two long filaments. Cylindrical blazing star appears to prefer dryer, well drained soils. The Jackson Park blazing stars bloom in the order cylindrical, prairie, rough, marsh, and Rocky Mountain; in relative abundance, rough is the most common, followed by cylindrical, prairie, marsh, and Rocky Mountain blazing stars. Quick key to the Jackson Park blazing stars: bracts covering base of the flowerhead are (1) sharply pointed (-> cylindrical), (2) recurved away from flower, flaring (-> prairie), (3) tip round, closely appressed (-> marsh), (4) margins with tiny teeth, rolled under (-> rough if flower stalk is very short, Rocky Mountain if flower stalk about same length as flowerhead).

Liatris

Liatris cylindracea

cylindrical blazing-star [Blooms: Jul-Aug]

Prairie blazing star's stem ends in a spike of composite, purple flowerheads 1/4-1/2" across; pinkish-red bracts cover the underside of the flowerheads, tapering to a fine tip that dramatically curls away from the flowerhead (like the scales on a dry pine cone). (No other blazing stars have such recurved bracts.) Each flowerhead has 5-10 disc florets that are tubular, 7-10 mm long, with five lobes at the apex forming a prominent star shape. A hairy, divided style protrudes well beyond the apex of the corolla; the base of the style is surrounded by the 3 mm long, reddish-brown anthers of the five stamens. Prairie blazing stars prefer well-watered areas. The Jackson Park blazing stars bloom in the order cylindrical, prairie, rough, marsh, and Rocky Mountain; in relative abundance, rough is the most common, followed by cylindrical, prairie, marsh, and Rocky Mountain. Quick key to the Jackson Park blazing stars: bracts covering base of the flowerhead are (1) sharply pointed (-> cylindrical), (2) recurved away from flower, flaring (-> prairie), (3) tip round, closely appressed (-> marsh), (4) margins with tiny teeth, rolled under (-> rough if flower stalk is very short, Rocky Mountain if flower stalk about same length as flowerhead).

Liatris

Liatris pycnostachya

prairie blazing-star [Blooms: Jul-Aug]

Marsh blazing star flower spikes are 4-18" long extensions of the main stem, crowded with pinkish-purple flowerheads facing in all directions. Individual flowerheads are about 8 mm across; ray florets are absent and the 4-10 disc florets dominate. The corolla of a disc floret is tubular with five lance-shaped apical lobes; the divided style extends well outside the tubular corolla, surrounded at its base by five tightly packed stamens. The base of the flowerhead is covered with overlapping, flattened, elongate-oval bracts with rounded tips. Marsh blazing star is similar to prairie blazing star in appearance, but the bracts of prairie blazing star are highly recurved (like the scales on a dry pine cone). Quick key to the Jackson Park blazing stars: bracts covering base of the flowerhead are (1) sharply pointed (-> cylindrical), (2) recurved away from flower, flaring (-> prairie), (3) tip round, closely appressed (-> marsh), (4) margins with tiny teeth, rolled under (-> rough if flower stalk is very short, Rocky Mountain if flower stalk about same length as flowerhead).

Liatris

Liatris spicata

marsh blazing-star [Blooms: Aug]