Liatris spicata

Liatris spicata is a flowering plant native throughout the southeast, but largely absent in the coastal plain. It is naturally found in a wide range of habitats, and grows best in full sun. It can tolerate soils that are occasionally dry to occasionally wet. It can grow up to four feet tall in the growing season, and dies back almost completely in the winter. Leaving dormant stems up throughout the winter provides necessary over-wintering habitat for pollinators. Tall stalks of purplish pink flowers bloom in the summer and attract pollinators. Songbirds eat the seeds in the fall and winter. This is also a host plant for a few native moth species. Liatris spicata is great for restoration projects, stormwater plantings, or as a specimen plant in a yard or rain garden.