TALL GAYFEATHER

Tall Gayfeather, Liatris aspera is s showy, warm-season, native, herbaceous, perennial herb also known by these names: Tall Blazing Star, Tall Liatris, Rough Blazing Star, Rough Gayfeather, Rough Liatris & Button Snakeroot. It provides nectar and attracts pollinators, birds, bees & and butterflies including: tiger swallowtail, clouded sulphur, orange sulphur, gray hairstreak, aphrodite fritillary, painted lady, red admiral, wood nymph). Highly drought tolerant this is a must have plant for your pollinator garden as it will survive heat and drought without watering.

Some species of Liatris were used by Native Americans in herbal medicines. Their roots were commonly used to relieve headaches, sore throats and pain from arthritis. Some tribal groups used Liatris seeds as a food source, while others used the plant’s leaves to treat upset stomachs. The stems and leaves are eaten by deer so need protection.

SPECS: Genus: Liatris ; Species: Aspera ; Plant Type: Herb; Life Cycle: Perennial; Sun Exposure: Full Sun; Soil Moisture: Dry; Height: 2′ — 5′; Spread: 3′; Plant Spacing: 1′ — 2′; Bloom Time: July — October; Bloom Color: Pink, Purple; Advantages: Birds, Medicinal uses, Pollinator conservation, Pollinators, Showy; USDA Zone: 3 — 9; Attracts: Beeflies, Beneficial insects, Bumblebees, Butterflies, Carpenter bees, Honey bees, Small black bees, Sweat bees; Tolerant: Drought, Dry soils, Heat & humidity; Plant Community: Companion plants: Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Aromatic aster (Aster oblongifolius), Tall coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris), Maryland golden star (Chyrsopsis mariana), Tennessee coneflower (Echinacea tennesseensis 'Rocky Top') & Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium);