''Liatris tenuifolia'', also known as the shortleaf gayfeather, is a species of the genus ''

Liatris ''Liatris'' (), commonly known as gayfeather and blazing star is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Eupatorieae within the family Asteraceae native to North America (Canada, United States, Mexico and the Bahamas). Some species are used ...

'' endemic to parts of the

Southeast United States The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and the southern portion of the Eastern Uni ...

. The flower blooms in mid to late fall and is dormant in the winter. It is

lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of perennial flowering plants in the sage family, Lamiaceae. It is native plant, native to the Old World, primarily found across the drier, warmer regions of the Mediterranean ...

in color. In spring, it begins to produce needle like leaves. ''L. tenuifolia'' has

basal leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, fl ...

ranging from long. ''L. tenuifolia'' var. ''quadriflora'', sometimes split into ''

Liatris laevigata ''Liatris laevigata'', the clusterleaf blazing star, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to the U.S. states of Georgia and Florida. It usually is found growing in sandy areas in association with sclerophyllous oaks. ...

'', can be distinguished by its broad basal leaves. The stalk of the plant is tall. ''Liatris tenuifolia'' inhabits

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

woods, sand hills and dunes,

longleaf pine The longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris'') is a pine species native to the Southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from East Texas to southern Virginia, extending into northern and central Florida. In this area it is also known as ...

savannas, and along roadsides. The species is native to the states of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. The plant grows in sand.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15592164 tenuifolia Flora of Florida Flora of South Carolina Flora of Alabama Flora of Georgia (U.S. state)