Meadow Blazing Star (Liatris ligulistylis)
Meadow blazing star typically reaches 2 to 5 feet in height, with slender, erect stems that may be green to reddish and lightly hairy. Its feathery, thistle-like flower heads are 1 to 1.3 inches wide, composed of 30 to 100 pinkish-purple disc florets per head, arranged in a loose raceme along the upper stem. Leaves are lance-shaped, alternate, and vary from 4 to 8 inches long and up to 1.5 inches wide, with sparse white hairs and a smooth texture. The basal leaves are larger and more oblanceolate, while upper leaves are narrower and sessile. Meadow blazing star prefers full sun and well-drained soils—especially sandy, loamy, or rocky substrates—and is most at home in prairies, meadows, and streambanks across the Midwest.