Liatris pycnostachya, the prairie blazing star,[1] cattail gayfeather,[2] Kansas gayfeather,[3] or cattail blazing star,[4] is a perennial plant in the Asteraceae family that is native to the tallgrass prairies of the central United States.

[7] Each flower head has 5 to 8 florets[4] and is surrounded by overlapping pinkish bracts (phyllaries) whose tips are pointed and curve backwards.

[7] The stems, leaves, and bracts may be smooth or hairy to varying degrees.

The species epithet comes from Ancient Greek πυκνός (puknós) "dense" and στάχυς (stákhus) "ear of grain",[11] referring to the thickly packed spike of flowers.

Its native habitats include prairies, open woods, and meadows.