Federally listed taxon—
Liatris helleri (Fed T, State T | S2 G2)

Habitat (s.s.). Shallow acidic soils on high elevation rock outcrops and ledges.

Range (s.s.). Southern Appalachians.

Notes. In preparing the treatment of Liatris for the Flora of North America (Oxford Univ. Press), Nesom (2005) found no consistent morphological difference between L. helleri s.s. and L. turgida of prior authors. Prior to Nesom (2005), authors had distinguished between the two taxa by the length of the pappus. However, Nesom (2005) noted that pappus length is rather variable in the group and that some populations--e.g., the Grandfather Mountain population recognized as L. helleri s.s. by USFWS and NHP--cannot actually be keyed to L. helleri on account of the longer pappus and should in reality be attributed to L. turgida. Not finding other characters to consistently distinguish between the two, Nesom (2005) argued for a broadened circumscription of L. helleri s.l. to include L. turgida. As the name L. helleri has priority, L. turgida was sunk into synonymy. This broader circumscription is consistent with prior genetic studies that found the genetic variablity in L. helleri s.l. to be on par with that of much more broadly distributed Liatris species (see Godt & Hamrick 1996). Liatris helleri s.l. has a broader distribution than L. helleri s.s., which had had been considered endemic to North Carolina. The key provided below, recognizes L. helleri in the broad sense and is modified in part based on Nesom's (2005) findings. As of August 2010, information provided by USFWS and NHP on L. helleri however, remains based on the narrower concept prior to Nesom (2005).

Additional resources . NHP | Recovery plan

Key to Liatris in North Carolina

Key adapted from Radford et al. (1968), Nesom (2005, 2006), and Weakley (2008). Photos by Krings, unless otherwise indicated. Line drawings from Britton & Brown (1913), unless otherwise indicated. Maps courtesy of USDA PLANTS and the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program.

1. Pappus plumose, barbels usually 0.5–1.0 mm long...L. squarrosa

1'. Pappus barbellate, barbels 0.1–0.3 (–0.4) mm long...2.

2. Basal leaves 3–5-veined from the base...L. spicata

2'. Basal leaves 1-veined...3.

3. Apex of mid and inner involucral bracts acute, apiculate, or rounded-retuse and minutely involute-cuspidate...4.

4. Heads frequently secund; involucres 7–10 (–14) mm long, bracts obovate; florets 3–6...L. secunda

4'. Heads secund or not; involucres 6–7 (–9) mm long, bracts ovate-triangular to oblong; florets 4–10 (–12)...5.

5. Basal leaves gradually reduced in length distally; heads frequently secund, involucral bracts distinctly
involute...L. cokeri

5'. Basal leaves quickly reduced in width and length distally; heads not secund, involucral bracts not markedly involute...L. virgata

3'. Apex of mid and inner involucral bracts rounded, but neither rounded-retuse nor cuspidate nor apiculate...6.

6. Stems glabrous (rarely sparsely to moderately pilose in L. pilosa)...7.

7. Corolla tubes glabrous within...L. microcephala

7'. Corolla tubes pilose within...8.

8. Stems 15–55 cm; leaves and phyllaries not at all punctate-glandular or weakly so, the punctations evident only as tiny black dots (no glandular hairs evident); involucres 6–8(–10) mm wide; pappus bristles 1/2–2/3 to equal the the corolla tube length; Mt (cliffs and outcrops; 650–1600(–1850) m)...Liatris helleri* s.l. (incl. L. turgida)

8'. Stems 40–120 cm; leaves and phyllaries usually weakly punctate-glandular, phyllaries sometimes eglandular or the glands weakly developed and superficial; involucres 5–6 mm wide; pappus bristles equal the corolla tube length; Pd, CP (sandhills, pine barrens roadsides; (0–)10–500 m)...L. pilosa

6'. Stems puberulent to strigose...9.

9. Involucral bracts bullate, border conspicuous, broad, hyaline, frequently erose to lacerate...L. aspera

9'. Involucral bracts not bullate...10.

10. Involucres (12–) 15–22(–25) mm wide; florets 19–80...L. scariosa

10'. Involucres (6–) 8–15 mm wide; florets 11–26 (–28)...L. squarrulosa