Liatris aspera (known as rough,[1][2] button,[3] lacerate,[4] or tall prairie blazing star[2] or gayfeather) is a wildflower that is found in the mid to eastern United States in habitats that range from mesic to dry prairie and dry savanna.

Liatris aspera
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Genus:	Liatris
Species:	L. aspera
Binomial name
Liatris aspera Michx.

It is a perennial herb[5] that grows 30 to 180 cm (1 to 6 feet) high.[6] The inflorescence is an erect raceme with numerous, purple, button-like flower heads, short-stalked or stalkless, blooming from the top down. It flowers from mid-August through September, with seed becoming ripe in October to November.[7] It can be purchased from specialty suppliers.

Leaves are alternate, numerous, and narrow along the entire stem. The stem is rough with short stiff hairs,[1] and often the leaves are as well.[2] It attracts birds, hummingbirds, and butterflies.[5]

• 
  Flowers from above, some not yet blooming.
• 
  Monarch butterfly on Liatris aspera, North Dakota, USA.

References