One of the most
beautiful of the Lake Wales Ridge scrub endemics, scrub
blazingstar is an Endangered
Species which
occurs naturally only in scrubs on the Lake Wales Ridge
in Polk and Highlands Counties. Most blazingstar species
have their flowers arranged in terminal spikes, but this
one has them in rounded heads. Scrub blazingstar is a
herbaceous perennial that dies back in winter and
resprouts from its underground tuber in spring. The tuber
also permits it to resprout quickly after fire. You can
see scrub blazingstar at Lake Arbuckle State Park and
State Forest, Archbold Biological Station, and at The
Nature Conservancy's scrub preserves in Polk County. It's
also common in scrubs around Hesperides east of Lake
Wales.
Scrub
blazingstar blooms in late summer. Rumor has it that the
cut-flower industry has discovered scrub blazingstar and
that Dutch flower growers are attempting to cultivate it
commercially.
One of the most
beautiful of the Lake Wales Ridge scrub endemics, scrub
blazingstar is an Endangered
Species which
occurs naturally only in scrubs on the Lake Wales Ridge
in Polk and Highlands Counties. Most blazingstar species
have their flowers arranged in terminal spikes, but this
one has them in rounded heads. Scrub blazingstar is a
herbaceous perennial that dies back in winter and
resprouts from its underground tuber in spring. The tuber
also permits it to resprout quickly after fire. You can
see scrub blazingstar at Lake Arbuckle State Park and
State Forest, Archbold Biological Station, and at The
Nature Conservancy's scrub preserves in Polk County. It's
also common in scrubs around Hesperides east of Lake
Wales.
Scrub
blazingstar blooms in late summer. Rumor has it that the
cut-flower industry has discovered scrub blazingstar and
that Dutch flower growers are attempting to cultivate it
commercially. 
