Gholson’s or bluffs gayfeather

Plants 45–120(–180) cm. Corms globose. Stems finely puberulent. Leaves: basal and proximal cauline 1-nerved, spatulate (petioles slender, blades elliptic to lanceolate-elliptic), (100–)150–250 × (8–)11–22(–27) mm, gradually reduced distally, essentially glabrous, gland-dotted. Heads in loose, racemiform arrays. Peduncles (spreading-ascending) (2–)5–12(–26) mm (with bracts 2+ mm wide, grading from distal leaves). Involucres cylindro-turbinate, 4–5 × 2.5–3 mm. Phyllaries in 3(–4) series, ovate to oblong, strongly to weakly unequal, essentially glabrous, margins with hyaline borders, ciliolate, apices (at least outer) acuminate to acute. Florets 3–5(–6); corolla tubes pilose inside. Cypselae 3.5–5 mm; pappi: lengths ± equaling corollas, bristles barbellate. 2n = 20.

Flowering (Jul–)Aug–Oct(–Nov). Slopes of shaded sites in deciduous woods, ecotones of mesic woods and scrub oak, sandy ridges between ravines, open sites on bluffs, loamy or gravelly sands; of conservation concern; 20–50 m; Fla.

Liatris gholsonii is closely similar to L. gracilis; it apparently is restricted to an area along the Apalachicola River in Liberty and Leon counties.