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| ##  DottEd  {#dotted .Title-Header}                                   |
|                                                                       |
| ##  Gayfeather  {#gayfeather .Title-Header}                           |
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| *Liatris punctata* Hook.                                              |
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| Plant Symbol = LIPU                                                   |
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Contributed by: USDA NRCS Plant Materials Center Manhattan, Kansas

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.9743055555555555in"
height="3.9680555555555554in"}

Alan Shadow, East Texas PMC, Nacogdoches, Texas.

##### Alternate Names {#alternate-names .Header-3}

Dotted blazing star, blazing star, Nebraska blazing star, Kansas blazing
star, button snakeroot, starwort

##### Uses {#uses .Header-3}

*Forage:* Dotted gayfeather is a forage or a browse species that is
consumed by sheep and also wildlife species such as deer and antelope.
Its forage quality is rated as fair to good and it will decrease under
continuous heavy grazing.

*Ethnobotanical:* American Indian tribes used dotted gayfeather for both
food and medicinal purposes. The Kiowa gathered the roots in the spring
when they were sweet and baked them over a fire. Gayfeather roots were
said to vary greatly in palatability depending on the time of year
collected. Although widely distributed over the prairies, gayfeather is
not mentioned widely as a food source of native people. The Lakota
pulverized the roots of gayfeather and ate them to improve appetite. For
heart pains they powdered the entire plant and made a tea. The Blackfeet
boiled the gayfeather root and applied it to swellings. They made a tea
for stomach aches, but sometimes just ate the root raw instead. The
Pawnee boiled the root and leaves together and fed the tea to children
with diarrhea. The Omaha powdered the root and applied it as a poultice
for external inflammation. They also made a tea from the plant to treat
abdominal troubles. The roots were also used as a folk medicine for sore
throats and as a treatment for rattle snake bite.

*Horticultural:* Gayfeather plants are becoming more popular for
ornamental uses, especially fresh floral arrangements and winter
bouquets. The inflorescences make good long lasting cut flowers. If
spikes are picked at their prime and allowed to dry out of the sun, they
will retain their color and can be used in dried plant arrangements.
Dotted gayfeather is a good addition to a sunny flower garden or a
prairie planting for its long lasting purple color in late summer and
early fall. This species also offers promise for roadside and rest stop
beautification projects in the Great Plains region.

##### Status {#status .Header-3}

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

##### Description and Adaptation {#description-and-adaptation .Header-3}

#####  *General:* Dotted gayfeather belongs to the composite or sunflower family (Asteraceae). Dotted gayfeather is a native, perennial species that is 1 to 2.5 feet tall with one to many stems arising from a woody crown. It has a deep tap root which extends up to 7 feet in heavy clay soils and to 16 feet in lighter soils. Strong lateral roots branch in the first three feet, but they all penetrate deeply and most absorptive rootlets are at the deeper levels. Its leaves are alternately arranged on the stem, are closely spaced and linear, being up to six inches long and ¼ inch wide. The leaves are dark green with a light colored midrib and covered with translucent glandular dots. Dotted gayfeather leaves arch upward, have ciliate or hairy margins and get progressively shorter the closer they get to the stem apex. A dense spike up to a foot long at the end of the stems has many small rose-purple flower heads of four to eight disc flowers each. Flowering occurs from August to October in Kansas. Spikes bloom for a long time as flower heads bloom successively from the top down. The fruits are black ribbed achenes that are approximately ¼ of an inch long and have numerous feathery bristles at the tips. The achenes are easy to collect from the spikes when they are dry in October into November.  {#general-dotted-gayfeather-belongs-to-the-composite-or-sunflower-family-asteraceae.-dotted-gayfeather-is-a-native-perennial-species-that-is-1-to-2.5-feet-tall-with-one-to-many-stems-arising-from-a-woody-crown.-it-has-a-deep-tap-root-which-extends-up-to-7-feet-in-heavy-clay-soils-and-to-16-feet-in-lighter-soils.-strong-lateral-roots-branch-in-the-first-three-feet-but-they-all-penetrate-deeply-and-most-absorptive-rootlets-are-at-the-deeper-levels.-its-leaves-are-alternately-arranged-on-the-stem-are-closely-spaced-and-linear-being-up-to-six-inches-long-and-¼-inch-wide.-the-leaves-are-dark-green-with-a-light-colored-midrib-and-covered-with-translucent-glandular-dots.-dotted-gayfeather-leaves-arch-upward-have-ciliate-or-hairy-margins-and-get-progressively-shorter-the-closer-they-get-to-the-stem-apex.-a-dense-spike-up-to-a-foot-long-at-the-end-of-the-stems-has-many-small-rose-purple-flower-heads-of-four-to-eight-disc-flowers-each.-flowering-occurs-from-august-to-october-in-kansas.-spikes-bloom-for-a-long-time-as-flower-heads-bloom-successively-from-the-top-down.-the-fruits-are-black-ribbed-achenes-that-are-approximately-¼-of-an-inch-long-and-have-numerous-feathery-bristles-at-the-tips.-the-achenes-are-easy-to-collect-from-the-spikes-when-they-are-dry-in-october-into-november. .Header-3}

#####  {#section .Header-3}

##### *Adaptation:* This species is ideally suited to grow in dry, coarse soils with its extensive root system and limited foliage of linear, narrow leaves. {#adaptation-this-species-is-ideally-suited-to-grow-in-dry-coarse-soils-with-its-extensive-root-system-and-limited-foliage-of-linear-narrow-leaves. .Header-3}

#####  {#section-1 .Header-3}

*Distribution*: Please consult the Plant Profile page for this species
on the PLANTS Web site. Dotted gayfeather is found through much of the
plains region from southern Manitoba and Alberta and from western
Missouri to New Mexico and into northern Mexico.

##### Establishment {#establishment .Header-3}

Dotted gayfeather can most easily be established using seed. Cold, moist
stratified seed can be planted in the field in spring or non-stratified
seed can be planted in the fall. Typical seedbed preparation should be
followed to improve the chances of success. Prepare a firm, weed free
seedbed by disking, harrowing and cultipacking the planting site.
Chemical weed control can be used prior to planting to minimize weed
competition. Plant the seed units of dotted gayfeather utilizing a drill
with a legume box and depth bands to ensure that correct depth of
planting (1/4 inch) and good seed to soil contact. If establishing this
species for seed production purposes, planting in rows is desirable with
a rate of 30 Pure Live Seed (PLS) per foot of row. For prairie
restoration or diverse plantings intended for wildlife use, 4 ounces of
seed per acre can be incorporated into the seeding mixture. Apply no
fertilizer the establishment year unless the soil test indicates
severely limited potassium or phosphorus levels at the planting site. No
nitrogen should be used the establishment year to reduce the level of
weed competition. Seedling vigor of this species is good, but first year
growth is prioritized to the root system. Establishment is comparatively
easy when weed competition can be successfully controlled.

##### Management {#management .Header-3}

*Liatris punctata* often needs lime or potash to strengthen its stems in
moist environments. Observations indicate that its leaves are erect in a
natural, drier climate zones.

![](media/image3.jpeg){width="2.9972222222222222in"
height="1.9979166666666666in"}

*Photo byline: Steve Hurst@PLANTS Database*

Dotted gayfeather achenes with tufts of feathery bristles.

##### Pests and Potential Problems {#pests-and-potential-problems .Header-3}

Rodents will eat the flower buds, seedlings, new leaves and roots of
*Liatris punctata*. A medium amount of lodging can be a problem during
seed maturity in a field monoculture situation.

##### Environmental Concerns {#environmental-concerns .Header-3}

There are no environmental concerns with dotted gayfeather. This species
will reproduce from seed and produce volunteer seedlings, but will not
do so aggressively.

##### Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) {#cultivars-improved-and-selected-materials-and-area-of-origin .Header-3}

There are currently no released varieties or germplasm lines of *Liatris
punctata* from the NRCS Plant Materials Program.

##### Prepared By and Species Coordinator:  {#prepared-by-and-species-coordinator .Header-3}

Richard Wynia, USDA NRCS Manhattan Plant Materials Center

##### Edited: 080303 jsp {#edited-080303-jsp .Header-4}

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

*The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in
all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual
orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information (Braille,
large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TDD).*

*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or
TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.*