Home/Species/ Ouachita Blazingstar

Liatris compacta

(Torr. & Gray) Rydb.

Ouachita Blazingstar

G3Vulnerable Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G3VulnerableGlobal Rank

Very high - highThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.149977

Element CodePDAST5X0U2

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicendemic to a single nation

KingdomPlantae

PhylumAnthophyta

ClassDicotyledoneae

OrderAsterales

FamilyAsteraceae

GenusLiatris

Synonyms

Liatris squarrosa var. compactaTorr. & Gray

Other Common Names

Ozark Scaly Blazingstar (EN) scaly blazing star (EN)

Concept Reference

Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

Taxonomic Comments

Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2006) treats Liatris squarrosa, L. compacta, and L. hirsuta each as distinct species. In contrast, Kartesz (1994, 1999) had recognized Liatris squarrosa with five varieties, among them, var. compacta and var. hirsuta.

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2023-10-31

Change Date2023-10-31

Edition Date2023-10-31

Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2023)

Threat ImpactVery high - high

Range Extent5000-200,000 square km (about 2000-80,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences81 - 300

Rank Reasons

Liatris compacta is endemic to open, rocky habitats in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma in the South Central United States. This taxon faces numerous threats related to habitat conversion and degradation, including development, recreation, road and powerline maintenance, invasive species, pine plantations, and fire suppression. Monitoring of populations should continue to improve our understanding of threats, and trends, as well as establishing conservation measures to protect the species.

Range Extent Comments

Liatris compacta is endemic to the Ouachita Mountains of the Interior Highlands in west central Arkansas and adjacent eastern Oklahoma in the South Central United States.

Occurrences Comments

By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimen data, photo-based observation data, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between the years of 1992 and 2023, it is estimated that there are 194 occurrences rangewide (iNaturalist 2023, NatureServe 2023, SEINet 2023).

Threat Impact Comments

Liatris compacta is threatened by loss of open habitat and habitat degradation. Threats include residential and commercial development in Little Rock and Hot Springs, recreation and tourism development including extensive mountain bike trails, conversion to pine plantation, road and powerline maintenance activities and herbicide use, invasive species, recreational off-road vehicle use, and fire suppression. Road and powerline rights-of-way can benefit the species in providing an open habitat when maintained with mowing outside of the growing season.

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Liatris compacta grows in open, rocky habitats, including novaculite, sandstone, or shale outcrops, glades, bluffs, talus slopes, and woodlands (SEINet 2023).

Terrestrial Habitats

Woodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedGrassland/herbaceousBarrensBare rock/talus/screeCliff

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN3

Province	Rank	Native
Arkansas	S3	Yes
Oklahoma	S1	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
1 - Residential & commercial development	Restricted (11-30%)	Extreme - serious	High (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areas	Restricted (11-30%)	Extreme - serious	High (continuing)
1.2 - Commercial & industrial areas	Restricted (11-30%)	Extreme - serious	High (continuing)
1.3 - Tourism & recreation areas	Large (31-70%)	Serious - moderate	High (continuing)
2 - Agriculture & aquaculture	Large (31-70%)	Serious - moderate	High (continuing)
2.2 - Wood & pulp plantations	Large (31-70%)	Serious - moderate	High (continuing)
2.2.3 - Scale unknown/unrecorded	Large (31-70%)	Serious - moderate	High (continuing)
4 - Transportation & service corridors	Large (31-70%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
4.1 - Roads & railroads	Large (31-70%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
4.2 - Utility & service lines	Restricted (11-30%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
5 - Biological resource use	Large (31-70%)	Serious - moderate	High (continuing)
5.3 - Logging & wood harvesting	Large (31-70%)	Serious - moderate	High (continuing)
5.3.4 - Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest]	Large (31-70%)	Serious - moderate	High (continuing)
6 - Human intrusions & disturbance	Large (31-70%)	Moderate - slight	High (continuing)
6.1 - Recreational activities	Large (31-70%)	Moderate - slight	High (continuing)
7 - Natural system modifications	Large (31-70%)	Serious - moderate	High (continuing)
7.1 - Fire & fire suppression	Large (31-70%)	Serious - moderate	High (continuing)
7.1.2 - Suppression in fire frequency/intensity	Large (31-70%)	Serious - moderate	High (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases	Restricted (11-30%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
8.2 - Problematic native species/diseases	Restricted (11-30%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)
8.2.1 - Unspecified species	Restricted (11-30%)	Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline	High (continuing)

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (3)

Arkansas (3)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bear Mountain	Ouachita National Forest	1,910
Brush Heap	Ouachita National Forest	4,205
Little Blakely	Ouachita National Forest	3,342

References (5)

Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2006c. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 21. Magnoliophyta: Asteridae, part 8: Asteraceae, part 3. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxii + 616 pp.
iNaturalist. 2023. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2023).
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
NatureServe. 2023. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2023. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2023).

Liatris compacta

Habitat

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