Liatris gracilis (Slender Blazing Star)

This perennial herb is native to the southeastern United States. It grows from a rounded underground corm and carries narrow leaves that become smaller toward the top of the stem. Small rose-purple flower heads form loose arrays, with short stalks spreading away from the flowering axis. Wild plants occur in pine woodland, scrub, sandy uplands, flatwoods, and roadside habitats. The species flowers mainly from late summer into autumn and can be propagated from seed. Photographed in Florida.