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Liatris scariosa

(L.) Willd.

Northern Blazing-star

G4Apparently Secure Found in 5 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1366860
Element CodePDAST5X1W0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderAsterales
FamilyAsteraceae
GenusLiatris
Synonyms
Liatris scariosa var. scariosa
Concept Reference
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.
Taxonomic Comments
This record is for the narrow treatment of Liatris scariosa, following Weakley et al. (2025), which excludes L. scariosa var. nieuwlandii and L. scariosa var. novae-angliae and includes material of two varieties recognized by Kartesz (1994): L. scariosa var. scariosa and L. scariosa var. virginiana. Weakley (2025) separately distinguishes the other varieties of Kartesz (1994, 1999) and Nesom in FNA (2006, vol. 21), L. scariosa var. nieuwlandii and L. scariosa var. novae-angliae, under the distinct species L. novae-angliae, as L. novae-angliae var. nieuwlandii and L. novae-angliae var. novae-angliae. L. scariosa recognized in Weakley et al. (2025) is equivalent to the concept of L. scariosa var. scariosa as recognized by FNA (2006) and Kartesz (1999) which do not recognize L. scariosa var. virginiana as distinct.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-10-15
Change Date2025-10-15
Edition Date2025-10-15
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2025)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
Liatris scariosa is a wide-ranging perennial forb found in shale barrens, dry rock outcrops, and roadbanks. It is endemic to the southeastern United States, where it occurs from Pennsylvania, and historically Delaware, south to Georgia and Alabama. There are at least 45 occurrences, which potentially face threats from development, mining, fire suppression, and invasive species. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and moderate number of occurrences, this species is considered apparently secure.
Range Extent Comments
Liatris scariosa is endemic to the southeastern United States, where it occurs from Pennsylvania, and historically Delaware, south to Georgia and Alabama (Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025). Range extent was estimated to be over 300,000 square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1994 and 2025 (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1994 and 2025, it is estimated that there are 45 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025). Due to different treatments of this entity, herbarium records and photo-based observations may underrepresent true abundance.
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is potentially threatened by development, mining, fire suppression, invasive species, and other threats in some places.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Liatris scariosa grows in "shale barrens, dry rock outcrops, [and] roadbanks" (Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2025).
Terrestrial Habitats
BarrensBare rock/talus/scree
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
West VirginiaS5Yes
North CarolinaS2Yes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
VirginiaS4Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
South CarolinaSUYes
AlabamaSNRYes
DelawareSHYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (5)
North Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
Virginia (4)
AreaForestAcres
Broad RunJefferson National Forest10,971
Little RiverGeorge Washington National Forest27,292
Oak KnobGeorge Washington National Forest10,882
Ramseys Draft AdditionGeorge Washington National Forest12,781
References (8)
  1. 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.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  3. iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
  4. 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.
  5. Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  6. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
  7. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).
  8. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2025. Flora of the southeastern United States Web App. Edition of February 18, 2025. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Online. Available: https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu (accessed 2025).