These erect perennials have multiple, tapering, soft spikes of white to pale pink or bluish purple that open with conspicuous stamens and look like elegant, living candelabras. The blooms add a vertical accent to a mixed border or wild garden in midsummer to early autumn. The lance-shaped, whorled leaves are deep green and remain attractive through the season. Both species in this genus occur in prairies, meadows, open woodlands, and grassy mountains.