Marsh blazing star, in the Asteraceae (daisy) family, is a clump-forming perennial that typically grows 3 to 6 feet tall. It is native to the eastern United States and is most often found in moist areas or growing in meadows. In NC it is found in the coastal and Piedmont areas. The tall spikes of flowers bloom from the top down, are showy and attract pollinators. The foliage is grass-like and grows in clumps. This low-maintenance plant prefers average to moist, well-drained soils that range from acidic to neutral in pH. It grows well in full sun to partial shade and also tolerates summer heat and humidity. This particular species does better in moist soils than some other blazing stars. The plant has corms with shallow fibrous roots and can produce new colonies from its corms, though it most often propagates by seed. Native bees nest in the dead, hollow stems, so gardeners are encouraged to cut back dead stems to 12 to 24 inches and allow them to remain standing until they disintegrate on their own. Read more about best practices for stem-nesting bees in this NC Extension publication . It is very attractive in mass plantings in a pollinator garden, rain garden, perennial border, native plant garden, or a cottage garden. It is a host plant for the larvae of both the Liatris flower moth ( Schinia sanguinea ) and the Liatris borer moth ( Carmenta anthracipennis ). Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: Sometimes taller stems can flop over and may require staking. More information on Liatris .
Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗Reconciled to full toolbox: matched by slug to slug 'liatris-spicata'. Identity (id/common/scientific name) preserved from the original 87-plant Hunnicutt set; attribute data refreshed from the 67-attribute toolbox scrape.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry | Occasionally Wet
Available space
Less than 12 inches; 12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in. | Width: 0 ft. 3 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The basal clump of alternate, narrow deep green leaves with a strong central vein are up to 12 inches long and 1/3 inch wide. Leaves grow smaller as they ascend the flower stalk. They are glabrous to sparsely hairy. Margins are entire.
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Good Cut; Good Dried; Showy
Flower form
Head; Spike
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
6-12 inch long flower spikes are densely packed with stemless flowers in purple, pink or white that bloom from the top down. Some cultivars have red flowers. Individual flowers contain 4 to 10 disks florets (no ray florets), are 1/3- 1/2 inch across with an exserted style. Blooms mid-summer.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Cypselae (a type of achene) with stiff light brown bristles in fall.
Stem color
Green; Purple/Lavender
Stem detail
Green to purplish stem is round and smooth to slightly pubescent.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Central to Eastern United States and Eastern Canada
Distribution
AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IL , IN , KY , LA , MA , MD , MI , MO , MS , NC , NJ , NY , OH , PA , SC , TN , VA , WI , WV
Wildlife value
Its flowers are attractive to butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. Larval forms of Schinia sanguinea (Liatris Flower Moth) feed on the flowers and seeds, and the larval form of Carmenta anthracipennis (Liatris Borer Moth) eat the stems. Goldfinches eat the seeds with relish. Dead stems are used by stem-nesting bees