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*The following is based on text excerpted from: Gann, G.D., K.A. Bradley, & S.W. Woodmansee. 2002. Rare Plants of South Florida: Their History, Conservation, and Restoration. The Institute for Regional Conservation: Miami. For the original text, click on the link above and go to the chapter and page number listed in the Update field below. Cite this page as: Gann, G.D., and S.W. Woodmansee. 2006-2013. Species Account Update, Floristic Inventory of South Florida Database Online. The Institute for Regional Conservation. Delray Beach, Florida. If no Update field is displayed, then cite as the original publication.
Liatris graminifolia Willd.

Grassleaf gayfeather

South Florida Status: Extirpated. Last collected in 1961 in Punta Gorda.

Taxonomy: Dicotyledon; Asteraceae.

Habit: Perennial terrestrial herb.

Distribution: Native to the southeastern United States. Wunderlin (1998) reports it as occasional in Florida from the northern counties south to the central peninsula.

South Florida Distribution: Lee and Charlotte counties.

South Florida Habitats: Presumably flatwoods.

Protection Status: Not listed by any agency.

Aids to Identification: There are fourteen species of Liatris in Florida. Wunderlin (1998) has a key.

References: Chapman, 1883; Small, 1933a; Cronquist, 1980; Wunderlin, 1998.

Synonyms: Laciniaria graminifolia (Walter) Kuntze.


Historical Context: Walter M. Buswell first collected grassleaf gayfeather in 1933 in Lee County at an unstated locality (s.n., USF). Olga Lakela collected it once in Charlotte County in 1961 within the city of Punta Gorda (24684, USF). Gann and Tiffany Troxler Gann searched for this station in 2000, but it appeared to have been destroyed by development. Grassleaf gayfeather has been reported for Big Cypress National Preserve (Black & Black, 1980), but we have been unable to verify this report.

Comments: Although this is a temperate species at the southern end of its range, there is a cluster of collections in Sarasota, Charlotte, and Lee counties that indicate that this species was a persistent part of the South Florida flora. Wunderlin (1998) describes the habitat of grassleaf gayfeather as flatwoods and open hammocks. In the central peninsula it has only been collected in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota and Sumter counties, so it is not particularly common there. Some work would have to be done to determine its exact habitat requirements, if a reintroduction were to be considered.

Recommendations: · Continue surveys in Charlotte and Lee counties.