Turgid Blazing-star

Liatris turgida

Found in shale barrens, other low elevation outcrops. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

52

Strong

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

Profile 88%

Height: Up to about 2 feet
Light: Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry

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At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Bloom: July and September

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 3 West 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 2

Steep, sun-baked slopes of loose shale with sparse oaks and Virginia pine and their own endemic wildflowers. Linked only where the source names shale barrens; calcareous shale stays with the limestone glades.

Cliffs, ledges and rocky summits

Cliffs, ledges, rock outcrops, talus and rocky summits where the source does not name the rock. A named rock files the place under its own glade or outcrop type instead.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

3CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Liatris

Carmenta anthracipennisBlazing Star Borer
Homoeosoma electellaSunflower 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
Flower color: Purple or violet

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “July to mid September” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Purple or violet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Height · “Up to about 2 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
primary_flower_color · “purple” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Soil · “Dry (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

Turgid Blazing star

Conservation status

West Virginia rank	SNR
Global rank	G3
WV status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources