blazing star

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun Any of various North American plants of the genus Liatris in the composite family, having small discoid flower heads grouped in a dense raceme or panicle.
• noun A rhizomatous dioecious herb (Chamaelirium luteum) having long racemes of small white flowers.
• noun A biennial plant (Mentzelia laevicaulis) of western North America, having large, star-shaped, pale-yellow flowers.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun biennial of southwestern United States having white stems and toothed leaves that is grown for its large pale yellow flowers that open in early morning
• noun any of various North American plants of the genus Liatris having racemes or panicles of small discoid flower heads