| Liatris | |
|---|---|
| Liatris spicata | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Tribe: | Eupatorieae |
| Genus: | Liatris Gaertn. ex Schreb. |
| Species | |
|
See text. About 30 known species. |
|
Liatris ( /laɪˈætrɨs/;[1] common names: Blazing-star, Gay-feather or Button snakeroot) is a genus of ornamental plants in the Asteraceae family, native to North America, Mexico, and the Bahamas.[2] These plants are used as a popular summer flowers for bouquets.
They are perennials, surviving the winter in the form of corms.[2]
Liatris species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Schinia gloriosa, Schinia sanguinea (both of which feed exclusively on the genus), Schinia tertia and Schinia trifascia.
Liatris is in the tribe Eupatorieae of the aster family. Like other members of this tribe, the flower heads have disc florets and no ray florets. Liatris is in the subtribe Liatrinae along with, for example, Trilisa[3] and Carphephorus.[3] Liatris is closely related to Garberia from Florida, but can be distinguished because the latter is a shrub and has a different karyotype.[4]
There are 37 species of Liatris.[2] A partial list is: