About Liatris cymosa (Nessel) K.Schum.
Liatris cymosa (Nessel) K.Schum. grows from rounded or sometimes elongated corms, which produce upright stems 20 to 75 centimeters tall. These stems have appressed hairs that all point in the same direction. Both basal and cauline leaves of this species have a single nerve. Leaves are long and thin, measuring 8 to 12 centimeters long and 2 to 5 millimeters wide. Most foliage is hairless, though some hairs may be present on leaf margins. Leaf size either gradually decreases as leaves grow higher up the stem, or reduces abruptly halfway up the stem. Flowers form dense heads containing 20 to 25 florets, and each flower head is borne on a stem 20 to 70 millimeters long. These flower heads grow in loose cyme-like clusters of 2 to 20, and sometimes more, at the ends of widely branched stems. Seeds develop inside cypselae, a type of fruit that measures 6 to 7 millimeters long and bears feathery pappi. Liatris cymosa is native to Texas, where it grows in grasslands, open post oak woodlands, fields, fencerows, and other open areas and edges. It can grow in clay, chalky, and gravel soils. This species is a conservation concern, and many populations have been lost to development.
