VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Liatris punctata | Blazing Star 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Domestic livestock, particularly sheep, graze blazing star, especially
when plants are young [40].

Rocky Mountain elk in Montana also graze blazing star.  Blazing star was
given the lowest rating for forage value in winter, and the highest
rating for fall.  It is not known to be eaten in spring and summer [28].

White-tailed deer fed on Liatris species on a reserve in southeastern
Michigan.  Liatris species comprised 0.5 to 2 percent of the diet of
pronghorns in New Mexico [31].

Young blazing star plants are eaten by rodents [31].

Blazing star is an important nectar source for Lepidoptera.  The
population distribution of the endangered skipper butterfly (Hesperus
leonardus montana) near Deckers, Colorado corresponds almost exactly
with blazing star occurrence [30].


PALATABILITY : 
Goetz [18] stated that blazing star has little value as a forage species
because of its coarse leaves.

Blazing star palatability for livestock in several western states is as
follows [12]:

                    CO      MT      ND      WY

        Cattle     poor    poor    fair    fair
        Sheep      poor    fair    fair    fair
        Horses     poor    poor    fair    fair.

Rodents prefer buds, seedlings, new leaf growth, and starchy material
from the centers of the tuberous roots.  Seeds are eaten, but are not
preferred [31].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Blazing star energy value for livestock is fair; protein value is poor [12].

The food value of blazing star is as follows [12]:

                                 MT          ND          WY

        Elk                     poor        ----        good             
        Mule deer               poor        fair        fair     
        White-tailed deer       ----        poor        fair        
        Pronghorn               poor        poor        fair         
        Upland game birds       ----        ----        poor            
        Waterfowl               ----        ----        poor             
        Small nongame birds     ----        ----        poor             
        Small mammals           ----        ----        fair.
            
Toxic alkaloids occur in blazing star, but their low concentrations are
unlikely to cause acute toxicity, particularly because most hay contains
relatively little blazing star [30].


COVER VALUE : 
The cover value of blazing star is as follows [12]:

                                ND        WY

        Elk                    ----      poor
        Mule deer              poor      poor
        White-tailed deer      poor      poor
        Pronghorn              poor      ----
        Upland game birds      poor      ----
        Waterfowl              poor      ----
        Small nongame birds    poor      ----
        Small mammals          poor      ----.


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Blazing star seeds were collected in the Badlands of western North
Dakota, and in 1977 and 1978 were grown on raw coal spoil material to
evaluate their use in minespoil reclamation.  Blazing star had
exceptionally good seedling emergence and subsequent vigorous growth
from direct seeding.  Greenhouse plants transplanted well.  They
produced more vigorous first-year plants, which had a greater chance of
survival than those from direct seeding [5,6].

Blazing star is being developed and released for prairie rehabilitation
[23].  Shatter takes place shortly after seeds ripen and proceeds fairly
rapidly.  Seeds should be therefore be collected soon after ripening.
They are planted in the fall immediately after harvest or the following
spring when soils are warm (68 degrees Fahrenheit [20 deg C]) [14].
Plants show good vigor [23].

On a severely eroded, steep, sandy, south-facing slope in Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan, prairie hay mulch held down by jute mesh was very
successful in promoting germination and establishment of praririe plants
including blazing star [11].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Blazing star is a common floral decoration [24].

Blazing star contains sesquiterpene lactones and alkaloids which have
been extracted for use in biological tests [30].  Some components have
cytotoxic effects [22].

The carrot-flavored root of blazing star was used by American Indians
for food [24].  The plants of this genus were consumed in New England as
a treatment for gonorrhea [40].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Rangeland:  Blazing star is drought resistant and well adapted to a
variety of upland prairies [24].  Its tolerance of drought is due to its
deep roots.  It can develop normally and produce seed when there is no
moisture in the upper layers of soil [10].  During periods of extended
drought, blazing star decreases in abundance and height [31].  During
the drought of 1931-1937 blazing star completely disappeared from many
sites in eastern Colorado [29].

Blazing star is preferred by grazing animals.  It classified as a
decreaser, soon disappearing under continuous overgrazing [24,46].

Herbicides:  Blazing star was seeded with other native forbs and grasses
at two lowland sites in eastern Nebraska in May, 1975.  Herbicides in
varying amounts were applied at the time of seeding to provide an
assessment of their use in establishing a diverse stand of prairie
grasses and forbs.  Blazing star did not appear in any treatment plots
in which herbicides were used [8].

Other:  In Colorado, blazing star is a major host for the parasitic
plant wholeleaf Indian paintbrush (Castilleja integra) [30].

Related categories for Species: Liatris punctata | Blazing Star