The Prairie Blazing Star, a native perennial, grows to a height of two to five feet. Its flowers form a spike cluster that is six to 18 inches long, made of many purple, 1/2-inch, round flowers. Each individual flower is made up of eight to 10 florets. The grass-like leaves alternate along the single, hairy stem below the flowers. The leaves can be up to 12 inches long, progressively smaller near the top. The plant grows in wet, sandy soils in prairies. (SF)