Liatris spicata, Dense Blazing Star, Marsh Blazing Star, Dense Gayfeather
You gotta love a plant called “Gay Feather”!
I first grew Liatris in Garden #1 in the East Village. It grew well even in the partial shade of that garden. The tall purple spikes were effective for a couple of weeks, and always drew comments from visitors.
Note that both the NYFA Atlas and USA PLANTS maps for this species show scattered distribution among New York counties, and only in Queens within New York City. NYFA Atlas list this species as NOT native to New York state.
References
NYFA Atlas: Plant ID 258
USDA PLANTS Database: Symbol LISP