Silphium perfoliatum Seeds | Cup Plant
LATIN NAME: Silphium perfoliatum
COMMON NAME: Cup Plant
Plant Profile
Known to gardeners as Cup Plant, Silphium perfoliatum is a tall, upright, perennial in the daisy family. Cup plant is tall, bold one of prairie, and pairs of opposite leaves cup rain of summer storm. Plant is a fine, generous presence of wild garden and back of the border. It is a plant of open, sunny, deep, moist ground. When it flowers, local bees and other insects make good use of it. The ratio of effort to reward here is about as good as gardening gets.
Science & Biotechnology
Botanists studying the daisy family regularly include Silphium perfoliatum in comparative work, and the species also appears in horticultural trials aimed at gardeners and growers. Modern propagation practice has made this species straightforward to raise by ordinary good methods.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Cup Plant earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. Cup plant is a fine, generous plant of wild garden and tall border. Clusters of many yellow, daisy-like flowers open through late summer, drawing bees, butterflies and birds, and pairs of opposite leaves cup rain of summer storm, a fine, curious sight and a little water for garden birds. The very tall, upright stems give the fine, bold structure at the back of the border, and it is one of the fine choices for the wildflower meadow, the pollinator garden and the damp, sunny border. Once settled, it thrives on neglect more than on fussing.
Compass plants and cup plants are towering prairie natives, bird-feeding and deep-rooted; their resin was chewed like gum by Native Americans.
Growing from Seed
Cup Plant grows readily from seed. Surface-sow onto a light, well-drained compost, dust over a thin covering, and keep evenly moist and sunny until the seedlings show. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
Being a tall, upright, perennial, it asks for a permanent spot and repays it yearly. Cup Plant settles in quickly once it finds its footing. It is generous with beginners and their occasional misjudgements.
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