Liatris aspera (Rough Blazing Star)

One of the latest-blooming blazing stars, rough blazing star times its rose-purple bloom spikes almost exactly with fall Monarch migration, and carries a confirmed "Special Value to Native Bees" designation from the Xerces Society - though it's genuinely absent from much of the Northeast, worth confirming before treating it as regionally native.

Species Overview

Liatris aspera, or rough blazing star, is an upright, clump-forming perennial that typically grows 2 to 3 feet tall (less frequently to 5 feet), commonly found in dryish soils on prairies, open woods, glades, and meadows. Rounded, fluffy, deep rose-purple flower heads are crowded into long terminal spikes, blooming later in the season - late summer to fall - than most other Liatris species.

Application

• Prairie, glade, and dry meadow restoration
• Late-season pollinator habitat, timed with fall Monarch migration
• Cut flower and floral arrangement production - flowers open uniformly and hold color well dried
• Larval host habitat for the Glorious Flower Moth

Growing Conditions / Specification Data

• Light: Full Sun to Part Shade
• Soil/Moisture Tolerance: Dry to medium, well-drained soils; avoid consistently wet sites, especially in winter
• Drought Tolerance: High
• Flood Tolerance: Low - A dry prairie species; not tolerant of standing water.
• Plant Type: Forb
• Mature Height: 2-4 ft.
• Fall Color: Bronze
• Bloom Color / Period: Purple; August-October
• Wetland Indicator Status: NI (No Indicator) - see flags
• Native Range: Central and eastern United States, from the upper Midwest east to New England and south to Texas; genuinely uncommon or absent through much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic coastal plain (see flags)
• Hydrology: Dry-Mesic
• Root Depth: Shallow (Under 12 in.) (corm-forming, typical of the genus)
• Salinity Tolerance: Low
• Growth Rate: Moderate
• Shade Tolerance: Intolerant
• Growth Habit: Upright
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8
• Deer Resistance: Some - see flags
• Pollinator Value: Larval host, supports bees, supports specialist/oligolectic bees, supports butterflies, supports moths