Dotted Blazing Star

Liatris punctata is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names dotted gayfeather, dotted blazingstar, and narrow-leaved blazingstar. It is native to North America, where it occurs throughout the plains of central Canada, the central United States, and northern Mexico.^[1]

L. punctata is a perennial herb producing one or more erect stems 14 to 85 centimetres (1⁄2 to 3 feet) tall.^[2] They grow from a thick taproot 1.3 to 5 metres (4+1⁄2 to 16+1⁄2 ft) deep that produces rhizomes. The leaves are 7.5–15 cm (3–6 in) long.^[3] Appearing from August to September,^[3] the inflorescence is a spike of several flower heads^[1] which are each about 2 cm (3⁄4 in) across.^[3] The heads contain several flowers which are usually purple, but sometimes white.^[4] The fruit is an achene tipped with a long pappus of feathery bristles.^[2] The plant reproduces sexually by seed and vegetatively by sprouting from its rhizome. This species is slow-growing and long-lived, with specimens estimated to be over 35 years old.^[1]