Liatris is commonly known for being called a purple ‘blazing star’, but it’s somewhat common to find them in the color white as well. Today, you’re going to have the opportunity to learn about White Liatris, also known as the ‘Floristan White’ blazing star that almost exclusively produces vibrant white flowers.
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Does Liatris Come in White?
Instead of having purple Liatris blazing stars, you can have multiple color varieties, including white. The vibrant white blazing star variation is a late-summer blooming perennial plant that reaches its peak around June through August.
Just like other variations of the ‘blazing star’ flower, adequate spacing is required in addition to the enormous amounts of sunlight exposure. If you plan on growing your Liatris Floristan White in a location that doesn’t receive a whole lot of sunlight, it’s worth noting that you might experience some difficulties.
Almost all variations of Liatris rely on significant amounts of sunlight. A minimum of six hours of full sun is generally required per day. While they can tolerate partial shade in some situations, it’s generally much better for them to be exposed to full sun for as much of the day as possible.
Where Can ‘White Liatris’ Be Found?
Also known as the ‘Alba’ variation of Liatris spicata, the white blazing star can naturally be found in the wilderness, across the eastern parts of the North American continent. Prairies are a super common location to find Liatris growing in many different colors, including the vibrant white Liatris colors that we’re discussing today.
While the white variety of Liatris is slightly rarer than the traditional and common variety of Liatris, you can still find it growing in companionship with the other varieties of Liatris.
All of the common varieties of the ‘blazing star’ can be found all across the eastern United States and eastern Canada. Liatris spicata varieties are usually found around prairies and meadows in the wilderness.
If you are trying to spot them, you can expect most of them to grow to about four feet in height. You will find the largest number of these ‘blazing stars’ blooming between June and August across various parts of eastern North America. You can get white Liatris bulbs (more correctly called corms) from most growers.
See our article for Liatris Corms here.
Common Characteristics
The flower heads on the White Liatris blazing star are generally very fluffy and vibrant. If you’re planting these in your personal garden, you should expect these plants to attract butterflies and a variety of other insects.
While prairies are the most common place to find this variety of Liatris, it’s certainly possible for them to be grown just about anywhere. They can be extremely tenacious and tolerant once they have been established.
You shouldn’t underestimate the importance of having your Liatris exposed to a ton of sunlight. Long continuous hours of full sunlight are almost always required for Liatris. In addition to the sunlight, you’ll want to manually water these plants with a sufficient amount of water.
While the ‘blazing star’ varieties are generally considered to be very low in overall maintenance, there still needs to be some manual care for them to survive, grow, and prosper. Just like other varieties of the Liatris ‘blazing star’ family, White Liatris has the incredible ability to survive during dry conditions. Liatris spicata can survive moderate droughts, poor sunlight conditions, and poor soil conditions.
You should always make every effort to ensure that your location is appropriate for sunlight exposure and soil conditions. These factors will have a significant impact on the overall growth of your Liatris in the future if you take them into account.
What Does White Liatris Look Like?
You’ll find the vibrant white flowers on the blazing star, blooming in the warmest months of the year. These plants like to bloom in warm temperatures during the summer, similar to how the common variety blooms in comparison with its purple and red colors. Some Liatris flowers are more flashy than others. Source.
In terms of overall size, White Liatris can grow to a total height of 3 to 4 feet. The spikes that can be found on the flower can occasionally grow even higher. It’s generally pretty rare for them to grow higher than 4 feet.
While dark purple is the prominent color that you will associate with Liatris, the white variety is also fairly common. This variety develops into remarkable white flowers that look very similar in comparison to the traditional variety, except for the white flowers.
Is Liatris a Poisonous Plant?
There are not any ‘well known’ side effects from interacting with any Liatris blazing star plant. While there are no toxic effects known to harm humans or animals, it’s still possible that you may experience skin conditions or some other ill side effects. The good news is that almost everyone can safely interact with Liatris varieties, including the less common ‘White Liatris’ variety.
The same thing can be said for animals. White Liatris is not known to have any toxic effects on common household pets like cats and dogs, but it’s still possible that your pet could have a separate condition, such as an allergy.
Frequently Asked Questions
White Liatris is considered to be much less common than the traditional purple blazing star. There are many different reasons for this but the most common reason is that the dominant variety can more easily spread due to its massive popularity across North America.
Liatris comes in multiple colors such as amethyst, purple, red, white, pink. Some of these color variations are very similar. The white color is the most distinct since it stands out against the others.
White Liatris can look different, in different stages of its life. As they start to wither and die, the color becomes more of a golden color. Other than that, there may be subtle variations in the whites.
