Authentic Wisconsin.  Prairie Blazing Star - Liatris pycnostachya


Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 15, 2020.

Above: Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park in Madison, Wisconsin. (7/15/20).


Prairie Blazing Star - Liatris pycnostachya

Prairie Blazing Star is a native plant that has deep rose-purple flower heads which are crowded on dense, bottlebrush-like spikes that can be up to 20" long. Flowers generally open top to bottom on the spikes and each rayless flower head resembles a blazing star.

Prairie Blazing Star grows between two to five feet tall and blooms July -Sept.

Prairie blazing star is similar to Dense blazing star (L. spicata) which is commonly cultivated in gardens but can escape into the wild. Dense blazing star is a "Wisconsin Special Concern" plant and is most common in the extreme southeastern corner of Wisconsin (and Dane County). In general, Dense blazing star (Liatris spicata) is more of an eastern species and is usually not found past Michigan.

Also, Liatris have been known to hybridize where they occur in the same vicinity.

NOTE: I personally can not verify if the images I have on this website page are all of Prairie blazing star and do not include Dense blazing star.

Prairie blazing star blooms: July - September

Dense blazing star blooms: August - September

Other names for Prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya) include: Prairie blazing-star,thick-spike gay-feather, thick-spike blazing-star, Cattail gayfeather, Cattail blazing star.

Other names for Dense blazing star (Liatris spicata) include: Dense gay-feather, Marsh blazing-star, Marsh gay-feather, Sessile blazing-star, Sessile-headed blazing-star.

Prairie Blazing Star Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 29, 2019.

Above: Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park in Madison, Wisconsin on July 29, 2019.



For more information on Prairie Blazing Star, visit Wikipedia.

Or, visit the UW-Madison Wisconsin State Herbarium website page about Prairie blazing star.

Or, visit the UW-Madison Wisconsin State Herbarium website page about Dense blazing star.

Or, visit the Wisconsin Horticulture Division of Extension website page about Liatris varieties common in Wisconsin.


Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 9, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 11, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 11, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 13, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 15, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 15, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 15, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 16, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 16, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 17, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 17, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 17, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 20, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 20, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 20, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 21, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 22, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 26, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 29, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 29, 2019.
Prairie Blazing Star Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 29, 2019.
Prairie Blazing Star Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 30, 2019.
Prairie Blazing Star Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 31, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 31, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 31, 2019.
Prairie Blazing Star Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 31, 2019.
Prairie Blazing Star Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 31, 2019.
Prairie Blazing Star off of Arbor Drive on September 26, 2020.
Blazing Star on shore of Lake Wingra on October 16, 2020.
Prairie Blazing Star Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 15, 2021.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park in Madison, Wisconsin on July 15, 2021.
Prairie Blazing Star off of Bike Path behind Gregory Street in Madison, Wisconsin on July 16, 2021.
Prairie Blazing Star off of Bike Path behind Gregory Street in Madison, Wisconsin on July 16, 2021.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park in Madison, Wisconsin on July 16, 2021.
Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park in Madison, Wisconsin on July 16, 2021.
Prairie Blazing Star  on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park in Madison, Wisconsin on July 18, 2021

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Wisconsin Wildflowers


Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya


Prairie Blazing Star off of Bike Path behind Gregory Street in Madison, Wisconsin on July 16, 2021.


Above: Prairie Blazing Star off of Bike Path behind Gregory Street in Madison, Wisconsin on July 16, 2021.


Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 30, 2019.

Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 30, 2019.

Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 30, 2019.


Above: Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 30, 2019.


Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 29, 2019.

Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on July 29, 2019.


Above: Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park in Madison, Wisconsin on July 29, 2019.


Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on August 2, 2020.


Above: Prairie Blazing Star on the shore of Lake Wingra in Wingra Park on August 2, 2020.


Dense Blazing Star specimen collected in Wyoming County on a senic overlook on Hwy 23 on August 15, 1995.


Above: Dense Blazing Star specimen collected in Wyoming County on a senic overlook on Hwy 23 (near The House on the Rock) on August 15, 1995.


Prairie  Blazing Star botanical line drawing from USDA  NRCS, Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species., USDA NRCS National Wetland Team.


Above: Prairie Blazing Star botanical line drawing from USDA NRCS, Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species., USDA NRCS National Wetland Team.


Dense Blazing Star botanical line drawing circa 1913.


Above: Dense Blazing Star botanical line drawing circa 1913.


Other Liatris:




Above: Rough blazing star Rough Blazing Star in UW Arbortetum near Visitors Center in Madison, Wisconsin (8/10/21).



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