Liatris helleri

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Liatris helleri
Liatris helleri.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Liatris
Species:
L. helleri
Binomial name
Liatris helleri
Synonyms [1]
  • Lacinaria helleri(Porter) Porter
  • Liatris turgidaGaiser

Liatris helleri is a species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Heller's blazing star and Heller's gayfeather. It is native to the Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States, found in the states of North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland. [2] It is threatened by recreational activities in its habitat, and is federally listed as a threatened species.

Liatris helleri is a perennial herb which grows up to about half a meter (20 inches) in height from a spherical corm. The leaves are variable in shape, from linear to lance-shaped, and about 5 to 22 centimeters (2-8.8 inches) in length, with the largest ones located at the base and much smaller ones higher on the stem. The inflorescence is a spike-like array of numerous flower heads. The flower heads have purplish bell-shaped involucres containing 7–13(–17 lighter purple disc flowers but no ray flowers. Blooming occurs from July to September. [3] The fruit is an achene with a pappus of varying lengths, but generally shorter than those of other Liatris. [4]

A 2005 study expanded the species description of Liatris helleri to include plants with certain similarities. Populations of plants growing in West Virginia and Virginia previously included in another species (Liatris turgida) might now be included within the circumscription of L. helleri. [4] [5] In that case it would be less rare and no longer a true North Carolina endemic.

Liatris helleri was added to the American endangered species list with a threatened status in 1987. [6] It was only known to grow on cliffs on the summits of the northern Blue Ridge Mountains. These areas were heavily used for recreational activities such as hiking and skiing, or were in danger of being altered during the development of utilities such as parking lots and bridges. [6] In 1987, there were only seven known populations of the plant; [6] an eighth was discovered by 2000. [7] The estimated global population of Liatris helleri is only 3,000 individuals, although more have been grown in greenhouses for planting in appropriate habitats. [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Liatris</i> Genus of flowering plants

Liatris, commonly known as gayfeather, is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Eupatorieae within the family Asteraceae native to North America. Its most common name is blazing star. Some species are used as ornamental plants, sometimes in flower bouquets.

<i>Liatris spicata</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Liatris spicata, the dense blazing star or prairie feather, is an herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to eastern North America where it grows in moist prairies and sedge meadows.

<i>Liatris acidota</i> Species of flowering plant

Liatris acidota, also known as the Gulf Coast gayfeather, sharp blazing star and sharp gayfeather, is a plant species in the family Asteraceae and genus Liatris. It is native to Louisiana and Texas in the United States, where it is found in habitats that include coastal prairies, dry prairie and savanna, where it is found in sandy to clay soils.

<i>Liatris aestivalis</i> Species of plant

Liatris aestivalis, also known as the summer gayfeather, is a plant species in the family Asteraceae and genus Liatris. The specific epithet, aestivalis, is derived from Latin and means "pertaining to the summer".

Liatris bracteata, commonly known as the bracted blazing star, or South Texas gayfeather, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Texas in the United States, where it is found in coastal prairies, roadsides, and along railroads with clay or sandy loam soils. This species is of conservation concern in its native range due to habitat loss.

<i>Liatris chapmanii</i> Species of flowering plant

Liatris chapmanii, also known as Chapman's blazing star or Chapman's gayfeather, is a plant species in the family Asteraceae and genus Liatris. It is native to Alabama, Florida and Georgia in the United States, where it is found in habitats such as dunes, beach strands, sand ridges, fields and roadsides, it also grows in longleaf pine savannas and other scrub habitats.

Liatris cokeri, also known as Coker's gayfeather and sandhills blazing star, is a plant species in the family Asteraceae and genus Liatris. It is native to North and South Carolina in the United States, where it is found in habitats such as sand ridges and sandy fields to roadsides; it is also found in turkey-oak and longleaf pine-oak plant communities. It blooms in late summer with purple flower heads.

<i>Liatris compacta</i> Species of flowering plant

Liatris compacta, sometimes called Arkansas gayfeather, is a herbaceous plant species in the family Asteraceae and genus Liatris. It is native to the Ouachitas of west-central Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma in the central United States, where it is found growing in habitats such as rocky ridges, bluffs, hillsides, weathered sandstone, and open woods. It blooms in June to September and may start blooming as early as May, it has purple flowers grouped into heads. It was known as a variety of Liatris squarrosa as Liatris squarrosa var. compacta until relatively recently.

<i>Liatris cylindracea</i> Species of flowering plant

Liatris cylindracea is a plant species in the family Asteraceae. It is native to eastern North America, where its populations are concentrated in the Midwestern United States. It is found in habitats such as prairies, limestone and sandstone outcroppings, bluffs, barrens, glades, woodlands and dunes.

Liatris cymosa, also known as Aggie-land gayfeather or branched blazing star, is a plant species in the family Asteraceae and genus Liatris. It is native to east central Texas in North America, where it is found in habitats such as post oak woodlands, fields, fence rows, woodland openings and edges, in clay soils. It blooms in mid to late summer with purple flower heads. It is of conservation concern due to habitat loss.

<i>Liatris elegans</i> Species of flowering plant

Liatris elegans, known commonly as pinkscale gayfeather, pinkscale blazingstar, and elegant blazingstar, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the southeastern United States as far west as Texas and Oklahoma.

Helenium virginicum is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Virginia sneezeweed. It occurs in the United States, where it has a disjunct distribution; it is known only from Virginia and Missouri. It is limited to a specific type of habitat and it is threatened by modification of this habitat. It was federally listed as a threatened species of the United States in 1998.

<i>Liatris ohlingerae</i> Species of flowering plant

Liatris ohlingerae is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Florida blazing star, Florida gayfeather, scrub blazing star, and sandtorch. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where it occurs only on the Lake Wales Ridge along with many other rare plants. It is threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat, and it is federally listed as an endangered species.

<i>Solidago spithamaea</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago spithamaea is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Blue Ridge goldenrod. It is native to a very small region around the border between North Carolina and Tennessee in the United States. Its three remaining populations are threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat. It is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.

<i>Solidago houghtonii</i> Species of flowering plant

Solidago houghtonii is a rare North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known as Houghton's goldenrod. It is native to southern Ontario, Canada and the northern United States. It is threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat. It is a federally listed threatened species of the United States and it is designated a species of special concern by Canada's Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.

<i>Liatris punctata</i> Species of flowering plant

Liatris punctata is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names dotted gayfeather, dotted blazingstar, and narrow-leaved blazingstar. It is native to North America, where it occurs throughout the plains of central Canada, the central United States, and northern Mexico.

<i>Liatris provincialis</i> Species of flowering plant

Liatris provincialis is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Godfrey's blazing star and Godfrey's gayflower. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where it is limited to Wakulla and Franklin Counties in the Panhandle.

<i>Symphyotrichum prenanthoides</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to North America

Symphyotrichum prenanthoides is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name crookedstem aster. It is native to northcentral and northeastern North America.

<i>Symphyotrichum georgianum</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to the southeastern United States

Symphyotrichum georgianum is a rare species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae, the aster family. Its common name is Georgia aster. It is native to the southeastern United States where it is known from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. As of 2013, it may be extirpated from the state of Florida.

<i>Liatris ligulistylis</i> Species of flowering plant

Liatris ligulistylis is a flowering plant of the family Asteraceae, native to the central United States and central Canada.

References

  1. "Liatris helleri". The Global Compositae Checklist (GCC) via The Plant List.
  2. "Liatris helleri". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
  3. "Liatris helleri". Center for Plant Conservation. Archived from the original on 2010-12-15.
  4. 1 2 Nesom, Guy L. (2006). "Liatris helleri". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 21. New York and Oxford via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  5. Nesom, G. L. (2005). "Broadened concept of Liatris helleri (Asteraceae: Eupatorieae)" (PDF). Sida. 21: 1323–1333.
  6. 1 2 3 USFWS. Determination of threatened status for Liatris helleri. Federal Register November 19, 1987.
  7. USFWS. Recovery Plan for Liatris helleri. Revision January 28, 2000.
  8. Liatris helleri. The Nature Conservancy.