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Grass Leaf Gayfeather

Liatris pilosa

Found in longleaf pine sandhills, pine barrens, other dry forests and woodlands, fields, roadbanks. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

56
Strong

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
1–3 feet
Spread
1–2 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to average

Space about 1.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 44 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

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At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
Late summer
Fruiting season
Fall to winter

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 79 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

4CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Liatris

  • Carmenta anthracipennisBlazing Star Borer
  • Homoeosoma electellaSunflower Moth
  • Schinia sanguineaBleeding Flower Moth
  • Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
46BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Liatris

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
8Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Liatris

  • Dianthidium curvatum
  • Megachile pugnata
  • Melissodes denticulatus
  • Melissodes niveus
  • Melissodes subillatus
  • Melissodes tinctus
  • Perdita swenki
  • Protandrena labrosiformis
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Hardiness
Zones 6a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
Pink or purple
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Yellow-green
Fruit begins
Fall
Fruit ends
Winter

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Grass Leaf Blazing Star; Shaggy Blazingstar; Shaggy Gayfeather

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNR
Global rankG5?
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources