Botanical atlas

Blazing Star

Liatris spicata

Blazing star has long been a fixture of the tallgrass prairie, its purple spikes rising above the grasses in late summer like small torches, which is likely how it earned its common name. Several Native peoples of the eastern woodlands and prairies, including the Meskwaki, dug and dried the corm for use in traditional remedies aimed at the kidneys and urinary tract, and applied preparations of it externally for swelling. The dried root also carries a soft, vanilla-like sweetness, and it was valued for scenting sachets, pouches, and stored clothing long before it became a garden favorite. Today it is grown far more often for its beauty and its wildlife value than for any medicinal purpose, and it plays a especially important role for monarch butterflies fueling up on their fall migration south.

Safety.

Blazing star isn't known to be toxic, but it lacks a reliable history of internal medicinal use, so it's best enjoyed in the garden rather than ingested.