Lysimachia atropurpurea is a lovely plant and not at all invasive. It is not the thug that lysimachia clethroides is. I used it for a terrace bed one year and it was knock down, drag out gorgeous. Supposedly perennial, I found it did not return the next year. However, I grew it from seed, so wasn't out much but the effort. Hard to get the seed for, and at one time was touted as a new offering in the trade, but didn't catch on. I suppose it's perseverance or lack of it didn't help.

I read that Ligulistylus releases some kind of chemical to attract Monarchs too. I grow 5 kinds of liatris and this one is by far the most popular with monarchs, in part I think because it bloom timing is similar to when the monarchs come around. I have L. spicata that our swallowtails like a lot, but it blooms earlier when I think we get a fresh flight of E T swallowtails in our garden. I ordered 20 L. ligustylus plants from dogwoodritter on e-bay. The plants were small but well rooted and grew well. (I buy a lot of butterfly plants from him.) I also ordered a number of plants from 'Prairie Moon' online which grew too. Ligulistylis isn't 'native' to my region, but it's pretty darn close! I wintersowed some seed too, but that takes too long to get to a good size(for impatient me, at least). One key I've found to growing this plant is that it doesn't like to have wet feet and likes lots of sun. My plants that I planted in a raised bed did much better than those that had a lot of moisture. The other issue is the rabbits. The springtime shoots are like candy to them, so some defensive measures need to be taken for that. I'm surprised that L. ligulystylus isn't available in more local nurseries, but it took a while for L. spicata to catch on with the wholesalers, too.

I think what I have is Liatris spicata..well I have 'Kobold' but I also have the non-dwarf version. I did plant the white version too, but unfortunately it rotted out in our heavy soil last year with all the rain. That is the one thing I don't like about them; in our heavy clay soil, I have had trouble keeping them healthy with all the rain we've been getting the last 2 years. Our soil is amended, but it just isn't enough. Also, I fertilized them too much last year, and the tall liatris flopped right over. Next year I'll try either skipping the fertilizer for it right away, or I'll give it a dose in spring and then be done with it. My husband calls it "the monster plant" because it really is a strong grower and quite tall and very striking. I think it would make the best statement with 2 or 3 plants planted near each other. The color can be very flourescent. If you get the full sized version, it probably won't grow very tall its first year. Wait until the next year and it'll have a boom.

To be honest, I'm not too sure what you're referring to when it comes to the leaves. In the process of dinking around a bit online... the impression I'm getting is that how obvious the bracts in the lower part of the inflorescence are is dependent mostly on how far down the inflorescence flowering has progressed. For instance, in the pictures of Liatris pycnostachya on this page and the second picture down of Liatris spicata on this page, the bracts are fairly obvious in both inflorescences when the lower flowers haven't opened yet. On the other hand, in the top picture of Liatris pycnostachya on this page and in the top picture of Liatris spicata on this page, the lower bracts are inconspicuous on both species once those lower flowers have opened. On the other hand, the differences in phyllaries shown on those pages are fairly obvious... Patrick Alexander