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The Natives are Friendly
Gayfeather
The Natives are Friendly
Gayfeather
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All too often we think of wildflowers being just a spring time event. But there are many fall blooming
Texas Natives that grace our roadsides, parks, gardens and rangelands. With the cooler autumn
temperatures and beneficial fall rains, the hardy survivors of the harsh summer burst into bloom and
cover the landscape once again with tantalizing color. One of my favorite fall blooming plants is Liatris
mucronata. Also know as Blazing Star or Gayfeather.
Texas Natives that grace our roadsides, parks, gardens and rangelands. With the cooler autumn
temperatures and beneficial fall rains, the hardy survivors of the harsh summer burst into bloom and
cover the landscape once again with tantalizing color. One of my favorite fall blooming plants is Liatris
mucronata. Also know as Blazing Star or Gayfeather.
Gayfeather typically grows one to three feet
tall on the surface, but this highly drought
tolerant plant will have a much larger
bio-mass beneath the surface. Its roots will
grow down up to sixteen feet deep in search
of nutrients and water. When a Gayfeather
seed germinates it sometimes take two to
three years for it to start to bloom, during that
time it is establishing its extensive root
system. Gayfeather will grow in even the
poorest soil types, but prefers a well drained
to slightly dry area to grow in. the long purple
bloom spikes first start to appear in mid to
late August and the Gayfeather will continue
with its colorful show until the first hard frost,
which for most of Texas is in November or
December
tall on the surface, but this highly drought
tolerant plant will have a much larger
bio-mass beneath the surface. Its roots will
grow down up to sixteen feet deep in search
of nutrients and water. When a Gayfeather
seed germinates it sometimes take two to
three years for it to start to bloom, during that
time it is establishing its extensive root
system. Gayfeather will grow in even the
poorest soil types, but prefers a well drained
to slightly dry area to grow in. the long purple
bloom spikes first start to appear in mid to
late August and the Gayfeather will continue
with its colorful show until the first hard frost,
which for most of Texas is in November or
December
The Gayfeather is also a very useful plant. Its large starchy potato like roots have been used for
centuries as an energy packed food source. The nectar the Gayfeather provides is very important food
source for the fall butterfly and hummingbird migration. The blooms make beautiful, long-lasting cut
flowers for floral arrangements, as well. This plant also has a reputation as a herbal medicine that
cures every thing form a sore throat to rattle snake bites.
Gayfeather is a sun loving, long lived perennial plant found in the wild growing in hillsides, slopes,
upland prairies and woodland edges from the deserts of Mexico to the great plains of Nebraska. It is a
plant that definitely deserves a spot in most every landscape and will provide years of enjoyment to the
person who provides a home for this outstanding Native plant.
centuries as an energy packed food source. The nectar the Gayfeather provides is very important food
source for the fall butterfly and hummingbird migration. The blooms make beautiful, long-lasting cut
flowers for floral arrangements, as well. This plant also has a reputation as a herbal medicine that
cures every thing form a sore throat to rattle snake bites.
Gayfeather is a sun loving, long lived perennial plant found in the wild growing in hillsides, slopes,
upland prairies and woodland edges from the deserts of Mexico to the great plains of Nebraska. It is a
plant that definitely deserves a spot in most every landscape and will provide years of enjoyment to the
person who provides a home for this outstanding Native plant.
