About Liatris chapmanii Torr. & A.Gray
Liatris chapmanii grows from rounded to elongated corms, which produce stems that are typically 35 to 75 centimeters (14 to 30 inches) tall, and occasionally reach up to 150 cm (59 in) tall. The stems are covered in short, often ridged hairs. This species produces flowers in dense heads that lie closely appressed against the stems; these heads have no stalks and are arranged into a dense, spike-shaped cluster. Both basal and stem (cauline) leaves have a single vein, are shaped spatulate-oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, are dotted with glands, and are either hairless or covered in short stiff hairs. Flowering occurs in August and October. Seeds develop inside cypselae, a type of dry fruit; these cypselae measure 4 to 6 millimeters long, and are topped with feathery bristle-like pappi that have tiny barbs.
