MAY BE AVAILABLE FALL 2025
Virginia ecotype
Duration: Perennial
Habit: Upright, clump-forming, non-rhizomatous, showy spikes
Size: Typically 1 to 2.5 feet tall; 0.5 to 1 foot wide
Flowering Time: June to August
Bloom Color: Bright reddish-purple to magenta
Habitat: Dry prairies, rocky glades, open woods, roadsides, savannas
Moisture: Dry to average; well-drained
Light: Full sun
Soils: Sandy, rocky, or gravelly soils; tolerates nutrient-poor, thin soils
Uses: Rock gardens, dry prairies, pollinator plantings, native borders, drought-tolerant landscaping
Liatris squarrosa (Scaly blazingstar)
Liatris squarrosa, commonly called scaly blazingstar, is a compact, drought-tolerant member of Liatris, a group with summer-blooming vibrant magenta-purple flower heads. It occurs in dry prairies and glades, forest edges, and along steep inclines. Unlike taller Liatris species with long columnar spikes of flowers, the scaly blazingstar produces clusters blooms along the upper stem, giving it a distinctive and bushy look.
This species thrives in sunny, dry, and rocky conditions, making it an excellent choice for xeric gardens, steep and rocky hillsides, and naturalized plantings in difficult to grow areas. This species grows from an underground corm that needs well draining soil, and will succumb to root rot if in moisture for too long. Plants prefer full sun, but can grow and flower in part sun as well.
Scaly blazingstar is highly attractive to native bees, butterflies, skippers, and moths, serving as an important nectar source during midsummer. It is particularly favored by swallowtail, fritillary butterflies, hummingbird moths, and the occasional hummingbird.
Because of its resilience to drought and lean soils, it is well-suited to prairie restorations, steep inclines, dry meadow plantings, and sunny rock gardens, where it provides both beauty and wildlife value.