Rocky Mountain blazing star facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rocky Mountain blazing star |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Liatris |
| Species: |
L. ligulistylis
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| Binomial name | |
| Liatris ligulistylis (A.Nelson) K.Schum.
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| Synonyms | |
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Lacinaria ligulistylis A.Nelson |
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Liatris ligulistylis is a beautiful flowering plant. It is also known as the Rocky Mountain blazing star, northern plains blazing star, or meadow blazing star. This plant is part of the aster family, which includes daisies and sunflowers. You can find it growing naturally in the central United States and central Canada.
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What Does the Blazing Star Look Like?
The Rocky Mountain blazing star has special leaves. They have a whitish line down the middle, like a vein. The leaves grow mostly at the bottom of the plant, near the ground. They also grow one by one along the stem, not in pairs.
The leaves change shape depending on where they are on the plant. Leaves closer to the top are long and thin, like a line. They attach directly to the stem without a stalk. Leaves closer to the bottom are wider at the top and narrow towards the base. These bottom leaves have small stalks that connect them to the stem.
The main stem of the plant can grow up to 100 centimeters (about 3.3 feet) tall. Both the stem and the leaves are covered with short, soft white hairs. These hairs can be few or many.
The Flowers of the Blazing Star
The plant has 4 to 21 flowers. They grow in a loose cluster along the upper part of the stem. Each flower cluster looks like a rounded, pinkish-purple button. These "buttons" are actually flower heads. They sit on small stems that are about 8 to 15 millimeters long.
Each flower head is quite busy! It has 30 to 100 tiny, tube-shaped flowers inside. These small flowers have five lobes, or parts. Around these tiny flowers are spoon-shaped leaves called bracts. These bracts have clear, jagged edges that are often purple. They fold inwards, protecting the flowers.
From the center of each tiny flower, a long, thin, divided part sticks out. This is called the style. It helps the plant make seeds. After the flowers bloom, they produce fruits. These fruits are small, about 5 to 7 millimeters long. Each fruit has a ring of barbed hairs at the top. This ring helps the seeds fly away in the wind.
How is it Different from Other Blazing Stars?
There is another plant called Liatris aspera. It looks similar to the Rocky Mountain blazing star because it also has button-like flower heads. However, the flower heads of Liatris aspera have very short stalks, or sometimes no stalks at all. Also, Liatris aspera prefers to grow in drier places, while Liatris ligulistylis likes meadows.
Who Visits the Blazing Star?
The beautiful flowers of the Rocky Mountain blazing star are very popular! Monarch butterflies love to visit them. They drink the sweet nectar from the flowers.
This plant is also a special home for a type of moth. It is called the bleeding flower moth (Schinia sanguinea). This moth lays its eggs on the plant. When the eggs hatch, the young caterpillars eat the plant's leaves. This helps them grow.
