Your help is appreciated. We depend on donations to help keep this site free and up to date for you. Can you please help us?

Donate

Native Plant Trust: Go Botany Discover thousands of New England plants

Liatris novae-angliae — northern blazing star

Copyright: various copyright holders. To reuse an image, please click it to see who you will need to contact.

Facts

Northern blazing star is endemic to the northeastern United States, and is rare and protected in most of New England. The sandplain grasslands and coastal heathlands where it occurs were typically prevented from becoming wooded by sea spray, grazing, and fires. Controlled, prescribed burns are now used to maintain some of this habitat.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), cliffs, balds, or ledges, coastal beaches (sea beaches), grassland, meadows and fields, ridges or ledges, woodlands

New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.

North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

enlarge

Characteristics

Habitat
terrestrial
New England state
  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island
Leaf type
leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
Leaf arrangement
alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
Leaf blade edges
the edge of the leaf blade has no teeth or lobes
Flower type in flower heads
the flower head has disk flowers only, and lacks the strap-shaped flowers
Ray flower color
NA
Tuft or plume on fruit
at least a part of the plume is made up of fine bristles
Spines on plant
the plant has no spines
Leaf blade length
110–270 mm
Disk flower number
  • 21-50
  • more than 50
Show all characteristics

  • Flowers

    Bases of bract appendages
    NA
    Bract color
    the bracts are colored, or at least tinged with, pink, red or purple
    Bract cycle number
    there are three or more cycles of bracts
    Bract margins
    there are fine hairs along the bract margins
    Bract tip shape
    the tips of the bracts are rounded
    Disk flower color
    • blue to purple
    • pink to red
    Disk flower number
    • 21-50
    • more than 50
    Disk flower reproductive parts
    the disk flower has both pollen- and seed-producing parts
    Flower head number
    each flowering stem has four or more flower heads on it
    Flower head outer flowers
    at the outer edge of the flower head, the flowers have no enlarged lobe or strap, and are of similar size as those in the center of the disk
    Flower head platform
    the base has no bristles or papery scales
    Flower head shape
    the flower head is hemispherical (like the bottom half of a sphere)
    Flower type in flower heads
    the flower head has disk flowers only, and lacks the strap-shaped flowers
    Height of flower head base
    9–17 mm
    Inflorescence branching (Solidago)
    NA
    Inflorescence shape
    the inflorescence is not flat-topped but appears rounded, with some flower heads distinctly higher than others
    Inflorescence stem
    NA
    Ovary attachment
    the ovary is attached at or near the base
    Ovary lines or ribs
    • there are seven to nine ribs visible on the ovary
    • there are ten or more ribs visible on the ovary
    Peduncle length
    10–50 mm
    Ray flower color
    NA
    Ray flower reproductive parts
    NA
    Ray flowers
    0
    Ray length
    0 mm
    Reproductive system
    all the flowers on the plant contain both carpels and stamens
    Scale tip
    NA
    Style branches
    the style branch is wider at the tip and has a flattened end, or the style branches are wider at the tips and have flattened ends

  • Fruits or seeds

    Ovary length in developed fruit
    4.5–6.5 mm
    Seed hair tuft details
    the pappus hairs are hooked or barbed
    Seed hair tuft length
    8–9 mm
    Seed hair tuft tips
    the pappus hairs are slender
    Seed tuft scale number
    0
    Seed tuft type
    the pappus is made of very fine hairs or bristles
    Top of disk flower ovary
    NA
    Tuft or plume on fruit
    at least a part of the plume is made up of fine bristles

  • Glands or sap

    Leaf blade glands
    • the leaf blades have glandular (translucent) dots or scales
    • the leaf blades have no glandular (translucent) dots or scales
    Sap
    the sap is clear and watery

  • Growth form

    Growth form
    the plant has one or more free-standing stems
    Plant lifespan
    the plant is perennial, it shows evidence of previous year's leaves, stems or stem bases
    Spines on plant
    the plant has no spines
    Underground organs
    the plant has one or more swollen storage organs underground, such as bulbs, tubers or corms

  • Leaves

    Final leaf segment length (compound lvs only)
    0 mm
    Final leaf segment width (compound lvs only)
    0 mm
    Hairs on underside of leaf blade
    • the underside of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
    • the underside of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
    Leaf arrangement
    alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
    Leaf blade base
    the leaf has a distinct petiole
    Leaf blade bloom
    the underside of the leaf has no noticeable bloom
    Leaf blade edges
    the edge of the leaf blade has no teeth or lobes
    Leaf blade length
    110–270 mm
    Leaf blade shape
    • the leaf blade is lanceolate (lance-shaped; widest below the middle and tapering at both ends)
    • the leaf blade is oblanceolate (lance-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)
    • the leaf blade is spatulate (spoon-shaped; narrow near the base, then suddenly widening to a rounded tip)
    Leaf blade surface colors
    there is no noticeable color variation on the upper surface of the leaf
    Leaf blade veins
    the leaf blade has one main vein running from the base towards the tip
    Leaf blade width
    5–25 mm
    Leaf disposition
    the leaves are nearly similar in size, prominence of teeth, and length of stalks throughout the stem
    Leaf spines
    there are no spines on the leaf edges
    Leaf stalk
    the leaves have leaf stalks
    Leaf tip extension
    NA
    Leaf type
    leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
    Leaflet number
    0
    Specific leaf type
    the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
    Teeth per side of leaf blade
    0

  • Place

    Habitat
    terrestrial
    New England state
    • Connecticut
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • Rhode Island
    Specific habitat
    • cliffs, balds, or ledges
    • grasslands
    • man-made or disturbed habitats
    • meadows or fields
    • ridges or ledges
    • sea beaches
    • woodlands

  • Scent

    Plant odor
    the plant does not have much of an odor

  • Stem, shoot, branch

    Flowering stem cross-section
    the flowering stem is circular, or with lots of small angles
    Leaves on stem
    there is at least one full leaf above the base of the flowering stem
    Stem bloom
    there is no powdery or waxy film on the stem
    Stem internode hairs
    • the stem has hairs between the nodes
    • the stem has no hairs between the nodes
    Stem wings
    the stem does not have wings on it

Wetland status

Not classified

In New England

Distribution

Connecticut
present
Maine
present
Massachusetts
present
New Hampshire
present
Rhode Island
present
Vermont
absent

Conservation status

Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.

Connecticut
rare to uncommon (S-rank: S2S3), special concern (code: SC)
Maine
extremely rare (S-rank: S1), threatened (code: T)
New Hampshire
extremely rare (S-rank: S1), endangered (code: E)

var. novae-angliae

Massachusetts
uncommon (S-rank: S3), special concern (code: SC)
Rhode Island
rare (S-rank: S2), state endangered (code: SE)

Subspecies and varieties

Our variety is Liatris novae-angliae (Lunell) Shinners var. novae-angliae.

From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key

1.  Liatris novae-angliae (Lunell) Shinners var. novae-angliae NC

northern blazing star. Lacinaria scariosa (L.) Hill var. novae-angliae Lunell; Liatris borealis, auct. non Nutt. ex J. McNab; L. scariosa (L.) Willd. var. novae-angliae (Lunell) Gandhi, 
S.M. Young, & P. Somers • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI. Woodlands, sandplains, dry fields, sandy sea beaches, roadsides, railroads, limestone outcrops. Liatris novae-angliae has been treated 
as a variety of L. scariosa by some authors (along with the primarily midwestern and 
Great Lakes taxon L. nieuwlandii). However, L. novae-angliae has larger capitula with more disk flowers, taller stems, and more leaves per stem than does the L. scariosa. Treating 
 L. novae-angliae as a species distinct from L. scariosa was done by Shinners (1943) and 
Gaiser (1946), and suggested by Nesom (2006c).

Native to North America?

Yes

Sometimes confused with

Liatris pycnostachya:
capitula +/- sessile, with mostly 5–10 flowers, disk flowers 7–11 mm long, glabrous adaxially, and involucre 7–11 mm tall (vs. L. novae-angliae, with the capitula borne mostly on short peduncles 10–50 mm long, with mostly 25–80 flowers, disk flowers longer than 11 mm, pubescent adaxially, and involucre 9–17 mm tall).
Liatris spicata:
capitula +/- sessile, with mostly 5–10 flowers, disk flowers 7–11 mm long, glabrous adaxially, and involucre 7–11 mm tall (vs. L. novae-angliae, with the capitula borne mostly on short peduncles 10–50 mm long, with mostly 25–80 flowers, disk flowers longer than 11 mm, pubescent adaxially, and involucre 9–17 mm tall).

Synonyms

  • Lacinaria scariosa (L.) Hill var. novae-angliae Lunell
  • Liatris borealis, of authors not Nutt. ex J. McNab
  • Liatris scariosa (L.) Willd. var. novae-angliae (Lunell) Gandhi, S.M. Young, & P. Somers

Family

Asteraceae

Genus

Liatris