''Liatris hirsuta'', commonly called hairy gayfeather, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

. It is native to North America, where it is found primarily in the

Midwestern The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

and South-Central regions of the United States. Its typical natural habitat is glades, rocky bluffs, and upland prairies. ''Liatris hirsuta'' is an erect perennial. It produces purple-pink flowers in the summer, from June to September. ''Liatris hirsuta'' is similar to ''

Liatris squarrosa ''Liatris squarrosa'', commonly called the scaly blazingstar, is an herbaceous perennial plant native to eastern and central North America, with most populations in the Southeastern United States. It is a somewhat conservative species, often foun ...

'', and some authors classify it with varietal status (''Liatris squarrosa'' var. ''hirsuta''). ''Liatris hirsuta'' is typically found to the west of the range over ''Liatris squarrosa'', but there are regions of co-occurrence. ''Liatris hirsuta'' can be distinguished from ''Liatris squarrosa'' by its short-tapering involucral bracts, and its comparatively straighter and more spreading hairs. ''Liatris squarrosa'' is also close to ''

Liatris cylindracea ''Liatris cylindracea'' (known as barrelhead blazing star, cylindric or cylindrical blazing star, Ontario blazing star, or dwarf blazing star) is a plant species in the family Asteraceae. It is native to eastern North America, where its populatio ...

'', with which it has been found to intergrade.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15587413 hirsuta Flora of North America