Liatris scariosa
savanna blazing-star [Blooms: Aug]
Savanna blazing-star (Liatris scariosa) flowerheads. Top: two buds of savanna blazing-star, just beginning to open and expose the disk florets. Note the short, fuzzy hairs covering the main stalk and the peduncles (stalks) beneath each flowerhead. Also note the leaf-like bracts at the base of each peduncle. Bottom right: a savanna blazing-star flowerhead just beginning to extend the disk florets. Bottom left: close-up of a savanna blazing-star flowerhead. In both of the lower images, note that the phyllaries are flattened, slightly spreading, and ascending.
Savanna blazing-star’s inflorescence is a long (up to 24″), narrow raceme of 10-40 flowerheads blooming in order from the tip of the inflorescence downwards. Each flowerhead has a 1/2-3.5″ long, ascending stalk (peduncle); flowerheads are usually solitary on the peduncle. A sessile, leafy bract resembling the leaves occurs at the base of each peduncle. The central stalk of the inflorescences and the peduncle are fuzzy with short, white hairs. Each flowerhead is 1-2″ across; they have 20-80 disk florets and no ray florets. The disk florets are tubular with five narrow, spreading lobes. The styles are bifurcated and extend well beyond the corolla of the disk florets, giving the flowerheads a shaggy aspect. There are five stamens hidden within the throat of the disk floret; the black anthers are visible, appressed to the body of the style. Surrounding the base of the flowerhead are scale-like bracts (phyllaries) in 4-6 overlapping series; they are slightly spreading and angled upwards but are neither appressed nor recurved. Individual phyllaries are oval or egg-shaped with short hairs protruding from their margins; they are often dark purple when the flowerhead is blooming. The fruit is a cylindrical, black seed with a tuft of white hairs about twice as long as the seed on one end. Preferred habitats are sandy savannas. Skippers and monarch butterflies seem particularly fond of savanna blazing-star. Savanna blazing-star might be confused with the much more common rough blazing star (Liatris aspera), but the latter always has appressed phyllaries with toothed, incurved edges, in contrast to savanna blazing-star’s spreading, flat phyllaries and a much shorter stalk beneath the flowerhead than is present in savanna blazing-star. NatureServe Explorer rejects the name “Liatris scariosa” in favor of “Liatris novae-angliae” but ITIS rejects the latter, as does the USDA Plants website. Here we will follow the latter two sources.
Savanna blazing-star (Liatris scariosa) stem and leaves. Left: the lower portion of a savanna blazing-star plant. Note the stout stem and the series of strap-like, alternate leaves along the length of the stem, decreasing in size higher on the stem. Right: a single leaf from above the mid-point of the stem. The top image shows the upper surface of the leaf; the lower image shows the underside of the same leaf.
Savanna blazing-star is a native perennial that is endemic to the Midwest; it grows up to 2.5-5 feet tall. It is listed as “threatened” in Illinois. The central (and only) stem is medium green, round in section, and hairless or fuzzy with short, curled hairs. The leaves are alternate, densely cover the stem, have a single main vein, and are widely spreading. The lower leaves can be as much as 12″ long and 1.5″ wide, strap-like or elliptical/oblong, with short petioles. The middle and upper leaves become gradually shorter higher on the stem; they can be as short as 3″ and are sessile. All the leaves are medium green with margins that are smooth except for a fringe of hairs along the margins; the leaves are otherwise hairless.
A savanna blazing-star (Liatris scariosa) growing at the north end of Bobolink Meadow.
Savanna blazing-star is a native perennial that is endemic to the Midwest; it grows up to 2.5-5 feet tall. It is listed as “threatened” in Illinois. The central (and only) stem is medium green, round in section, and hairless or fuzzy with short, curled hairs. The leaves are alternate, densely cover the stem, have a single main vein, and are widely spreading. The lower leaves can be as much as 12″ long and 1.5″ wide, strap-like or elliptical/oblong, with short petioles. The middle and upper leaves become gradually shorter higher on the stem; they can be as short as 3″ and are sessile. All the leaves are medium green with margins that are smooth except for a fringe of hairs along the margins; the leaves are otherwise hairless. The inflorescence is a long (up to 24″), narrow raceme of 10-40 flowerheads blooming in order from the tip of the inflorescence downwards. Each flowerhead has a 1/2-3.5″ long, ascending stalk (peduncle); flowerheads are usually solitary on the peduncle. A sessile, leafy bract resembling the leaves occurs at the base of each peduncle. The central stalk of the inflorescences and the peduncle are fuzzy with short, white hairs. Each flowerhead is 1-2″ across; they have 20-80 disk florets and no ray florets. The disk florets are tubular with five narrow, spreading lobes. The styles are bifurcated and extend well beyond the corolla of the disk florets, giving the flowerheads a shaggy aspect. There are five stamens hidden within the throat of the disk floret; the black anthers are visible, appressed to the body of the style. Surrounding the base of the flowerhead are scale-like bracts (phyllaries) in 4-6 overlapping series; they are slightly spreading and angled upwards but are neither appressed nor recurved. Individual phyllaries are oval or egg-shaped with short hairs protruding from their margins; they are often dark purple when the flowerhead is blooming. The fruit is a cylindrical, black seed with a tuft of white hairs about twice as long as the seed on one end. Preferred habitats are sandy savannas. Skippers and monarch butterflies seem particularly fond of savanna blazing-star. Savanna blazing-star might be confused with the much more common rough blazing star (Liatris aspera), but the latter always has appressed phyllaries with toothed, incurved edges, in contrast to savanna blazing-star’s spreading, flat phyllaries and a much shorter stalk beneath the flowerhead than is present in savanna blazing-star. NatureServe Explorer rejects the name “Liatris scariosa” in favor of “Liatris novae-angliae” but ITIS rejects the latter, as does the USDA Plants website. Here we will follow the latter two sources.
Browse more plants
Want to keep exploring more plants? You can view other plants like this one by selecting a characteristic from the list below, or 'browse more plants' to go back to the Plant Finder.
Related Plants
![Evening primrose — clusters of yellow flowers occur at the apex of the plant. The flowers are 1-2" across, with four 1/2-1" long green sepals strongly reflected over a long (3/4-2"), green, cylindrical floral tube (the ovary is located just above the leaf axil), four heart-shaped yellow petals, eight stamens, and a single style with an X-shaped stigma. The sepals typically remain connected (in pairs) along one edge until the flower opens. The seedpods develop within the ovary (the base of the elongate floral tube); they are hairy, urn-shaped with rounded edges, and have four or eight small lobes on the apex. The seeds are claimed to remain viable in the soil for up to 70 years. The flowers open at dusk and close early in the day. — — — There are (at least) three evening primroses in Jackson Park — common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis), northern evening primrose (Oenothera parviflora), and hairy evening primrose (Oenothera villosa). They are easily confused with each other. (Judging by the conflicts between the accounts on Illinois Wildflowers [https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/], Minnesota Wildflowers [https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/], and Missouri Plants [http://www.missouriplants.com/], even the experts are confused.) All three species have yellow flowers with an X-shaped stigma, reflected sepals, petals with a small notch in their apex, stems that may be red or green, and lance-shaped leaves with short, widely-spaced teeth. Northern evening primrose is distinguished by (1) the presence of a knob or ridge at the tip of each sepal which the other two species lack (2) a seed capsule with four robust, flaring lobes with rounded tips at the apex of the seed capsule, and (3) a stigma that is very robust and almost fills the opening of the flower. Northern evening primrose has green to yellowish-green sepals. Hairy evening primrose (often but not always) has (1) striped or reddish-tinged sepals (check the buds where this character is often easier to see), (2) flowers that turn orange as they begin to senesce (although the reliability of this character is uncertain), and (3) always has glandular hairs covering the ovary that have "pimple-like" bright-red bases; these red pimples may also occur on the stems. All three species are somewhat similar to prairie sundrop (O. pilosella); the latter has very hairy stems and leaves, and translucent lines that radiate from the base of the petals in the flowers.](https://jacksonparkwildflowers.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oenothera_biennis-1t-300x300.jpg)
![Northern evening primrose flowers are 3/4-1.5" across, have four yellow, heart-shaped petals, eight yellow stamens, and a cross-shaped stigma on a modest style; the stamens are as long or longer than the petals and the stigma is nearly fills the floral opening. At the base of the flower are four sepals 1/2-1" long, that bend back along the 3/4-1.5" long floral tube as the flower develops with pairs of sepals attached along one edge until the flower opens. Only northern evening primrose with a distinct ridge or knob near the tips of the sepals. The seed capsule develops from the ovary; it is 3/4-1.5" long, cylindrical but tapering slightly towards the tip, with four robust, flaring lobes at the tip. — — — There are (at least) three evening primroses in Jackson Park — common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis), northern evening primrose (Oenothera parviflora), and hairy evening primrose (Oenothera villosa). They are easily confused with each other. (Judging by the conflicts between the accounts on Illinois Wildflowers [https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/], Minnesota Wildflowers [https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/], and Missouri Plants [http://www.missouriplants.com/], even the experts are confused.) All three species have yellow flowers with an X-shaped stigma, reflected sepals, petals with a small notch in their apex, stems that may be red or green, and lance-shaped leaves with short, widely-spaced teeth. Northern evening primrose is distinguished by (1) the presence of a knob or ridge at the tip of each sepal which the other two species lack (2) a seed capsule with four robust, flaring lobes with rounded tips at the apex of the seed capsule, and (3) a stigma that is very robust and almost fills the opening of the flower. Northern evening primrose has green to yellowish-green sepals and is the only one of the three evening primroses to (sometimes) have reddish color on some or all of the midvein of the leaves. Hairy evening primrose (often but not always) has (1) striped or reddish-tinged sepals (check the buds where this character is often easier to see), (2) flowers that turn orange as they begin to senesce (although the reliability of this character is uncertain), and (3) always has glandular hairs covering the ovary that have "pimple-like" bright-red bases; these red pimples may also occur on the stems. All three species are somewhat similar to prairie sundrop (O. pilosella); the latter has very hairy stems and leaves, and translucent lines that radiate from the base of the petals in the flowers.](https://jacksonparkwildflowers.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oenothera_parviflora-1t-300x300.jpg)
![Hairy evening primrose produves an elongating spike of flowers arises from the apex of the stem; flowers bloom near the tip while older flowers and seed capsules develop below. Individual flowers are 3/4-1.5" across; they sit on a long floral tube with the ovary at its base (attached to a leaf axil). The flowers have four yellow, heart-shaped petals, eight yellow stamens, and a cross-shaped stigma on a modest style; at the base of the flower are four sepals 3/8-3/4" long, reflected back along the floral tube as the flower develops with pairs of sepals attached along one edge until the flower opens. The sepals are often red-striped or red-tinged. Note the long, hairy floral tube below the sepals, the reddish stem, and glandular hairs with red bases on the ovary. The seed capsule develops from the ovary; it is up to 1.75" long, cylindrical but tapering slightly towards the tip, with four tiny lobes at the tip. — — — There are (at least) three evening primroses in Jackson Park — common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis), northern evening primrose (Oenothera parviflora), and hairy evening primrose (Oenothera villosa). They are easily confused with each other. (Judging by the conflicts between the accounts on Illinois Wildflowers [https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/], Minnesota Wildflowers [https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/], and Missouri Plants [http://www.missouriplants.com/], even the experts are confused.) All three species have yellow flowers with an X-shaped stigma, reflected sepals, petals with a small notch in their apex, stems that may be red or green, and lance-shaped leaves with short, widely-spaced teeth. Northern evening primrose is distinguished by (1) the presence of a knob or ridge at the tip of each sepal which the other two species lack (2) a seed capsule with four robust, flaring lobes with rounded tips at the apex of the seed capsule, and (3) a stigma that is very robust and almost fills the opening of the flower. Northern evening primrose has green to yellowish-green sepals. Hairy evening primrose (often but not always) has (1) striped or reddish-tinged sepals (check the buds where this character is often easier to see), (2) flowers that turn orange as they begin to senesce (although the reliability of this character is uncertain), and (3) always has glandular hairs covering the ovary that have "pimple-like" bright-red bases; these red pimples may also occur on the stems. All three species are somewhat similar to prairie sundrop (O. pilosella); the latter has very hairy stems and leaves, and translucent lines that radiate from the base of the petals in the flowers.](https://jacksonparkwildflowers.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oenothera_villosa-1t-300x300.jpg)
