Corms globose. Stems usually glabrous or sparsely pilose except near heads (where sparsely piloso-puberulent). Leaves glabrous. 2n = 20, 40. Flowering mid Jun-Aug. Moist prairies, wooded and rocky ridges, sandy woods, creek bottoms, dunes; 30-300(-900) m; Ark., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., La., Mass., Mich., Minn., Miss., Mo., Nebr., N.J., N.Y., N.Dak., Ohio, Okla., Pa., S.Dak., Tex., Wis. Liatris pycnostachya is commonly cultivated. Collections from Michigan 'doubtless represent escapes' (E. G. Voss, pers. comm.), as also do those from Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York.