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Supplemental care
and marketing tips: Using fresh-flower food
solution helps open more flowers per stem, but doesn't make individual
flowers last longer. An unusual member of Compositae (chrysan-themum
or aster family), this species is also unusual in that the flowers
mature (open) from the top of the stem down-wards whereas cymbidium,
delphinium, gladiolus, snapdragon, and most other spiked-typetlowers
used in the floral industry open from the bottom up.
Botanical name:
Liatris pycnostachya, L. spicata, and L. spp.
Genus pronunciation: lie-A-tris
Common relatives: Gerbera, sunflower, lettuce,
chicory and aster
Botanical fun facts:
The specific epithet pycnostachya means thick-spiked
in reference to the flowers while spicata means spike. Native to
North America.
Ethylene sensitive:
It is not ethylene sensitive.
Storage temperature
(three days or fewer): 36-38 degrees Fahrenheit
Storage temperature (more than three days): 32-34
degrees Fahrenheit
Purchasing hints:
Liatris responds best when about one-quarter to
one-third of the flowers are open. However, if fresh-flower food
solution is properly used, flowers can be harvested with no color
showing and subsequently opened.
End-user life:
6 - 14 days
Special concerns:
Be careful of fungal problems such as Botrytis (especially
for those grown outdoors) and water stress. Leaf yellowing and reduced
life are common when these problems exist and are not easily controlled.
Care and Handling
information is from the "Flower and Plant Care Manual",
Written by George Staby, Ph.D., Used with the permission of publisher,
The Society of American Florists, 1601 Duke St., Alexandria, VA.
22314-3406.
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