Difference between revisions of "Liatris laevigata"

From Coastal Plain Plants Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
(Taxonomic notes)
Line 22: Line 22:
 
Synonyms: ''Liatris tenuifolia'' Nuttall var. ''quadriflora'' Chapman; ''Laciniaria tenuifolia'' (Nuttall) Kuntze
 
Synonyms: ''Liatris tenuifolia'' Nuttall var. ''quadriflora'' Chapman; ''Laciniaria tenuifolia'' (Nuttall) Kuntze
  
Sometimes ''L. laevigata'' is classified as a variety of ''L. tenuifolia'', however, they have distinct characteristics. ''L. laevigata'' can be distinguishable from ''L. tenuifolia'' by having wider and coarser leaves<ref name="hawthorn">[[http://hawthornhillwildflowers.blogspot.com/2009/12/clusterleaf-blazing-star-liatris.html]] Florida Native Wildflowers Accessed: January 12, 2016</ref>.
+
Sometimes ''L. laevigata'' is classified as a variety of ''L. tenuifolia'', however, they have distinct characteristics. ''L. laevigata'' can be distinguishable from ''L. tenuifolia'' by having wider and coarser leaves.<ref name="hawthorn">[[http://hawthornhillwildflowers.blogspot.com/2009/12/clusterleaf-blazing-star-liatris.html]] Florida Native Wildflowers Accessed: January 12, 2016</ref>
  
 
==Description==  
 
==Description==  

Revision as of 15:45, 17 August 2016

Liatris laevigata
Insert.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae ⁄ Compositae
Genus: Liatris
Species: L. laevigata
Binomial name
Liatris laevigata
(Nutt.) Small
Liat laev dist.jpg
Natural range of Liatris laevigata from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: Shortleaf blazing star

Taxonomic notes

Synonyms: Liatris tenuifolia Nuttall var. quadriflora Chapman; Laciniaria tenuifolia (Nuttall) Kuntze

Sometimes L. laevigata is classified as a variety of L. tenuifolia, however, they have distinct characteristics. L. laevigata can be distinguishable from L. tenuifolia by having wider and coarser leaves.[1]

Description

A description of Liatris laevigata is provided in The Flora of North America.

L. laevigata is a perennial species that consist of a globose corm, glabrous stem, basal and proximal cauline leaves[2]. The inflorescence consists of a scape with reduced leaves and many purple flower heads. [3]

Distribution

Restricted to peninsular Florida and adjacent Georgia [2].

Ecology

Habitat

Habitats are well-drained sandy soils such as longleaf pine-saw palmetto flats; ecotones between longleaf pine turkey oak sand ridges and pine flatwoods; scrub oak-wiregrass ridges; Pinus clausa/Ceratiola scrubs; Quercus laurifolia hammocks; and pine flatwoods on limerock. It has occurred in disturbed areas such as roadsides, sandy fallow fields, and bulldozed clearings of pine flatwoods. Associated species include Liatris pauciflora, Aristida, Sorghastrum, Carphephorus corymbosus, Pinus clausa, Serenoa repens, Carya florida, Quercus myrtifolia, Quercus geminata, Osmanthus megacarpus, Prunus geniculata, Bumelia, Ceranthera, Polygonella, and Penstemon. [4]

Phenology

Flowers and fruits August through December. [4] Herndon [3] observed that all of the flowers will produce seeds as long as they were not degraded by herbivores or pathogens.

Fire ecology

It has been observed to have a strong fire-dependent blooming behavior, blooming in large numbers in pinelands that have been burned recently, and rarely blooming or not at all in pinelands that have been unburned for more than two years. [5] Anderson and Menges [6] found that L. tenuifolia var. laevigata responded quickly and strongly to burning and blooms at high rates in the year following a fire. This study also found that concentrations of Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium, and Iron were 2 to 6 fold higher in individuals in burned areas compared to those in unburned areas. The root length of individuals is also longer in burned sites.

Conservation and management

Cultivation and restoration

Photo Gallery

References and notes

  1. [[1]] Florida Native Wildflowers Accessed: January 12, 2016
  2. 2.0 2.1 [[2]] New Mexico Biodiversity Portal Accessed January 13, 2016
  3. 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named H&M 1987
  4. 4.0 4.1 Herndon, A. (1987). "Variation in Resource Allocation and Reproductive Effort within a Single Population of Liatris laevigata Nuttall (Asteraceae)." American Midland Naturalist 118(2): 406-413. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "FSU Herbarium" defined multiple times with different content
  5. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Herndon 1987
  6. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named A&M 1997