Height - Tall Silphium laciniatum

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Silphium laciniatum

*Compass Plant*

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Most photos by Ann Grandy and Sally J.A.Finzel, unless otherwise noted to the left. Please ask for permission before using images.

Soil: Mesic(Medium) to Xeric(Dry)
Sun: Full
Height: 3'-10'
Color: Yellow
Blooms: June-September
Flowers: The flower heads are 3" wide, made up of ray and disk flowers like the rest of the Sunflower family.
Leaves: The alternate leaves are 12"-18" long. They are rough, large and deeply divided. They orient themselves on a north-south direction.

Suggested Uses:

This tall, showy wildflower makes for a great conversation piece, especially useful for a learning garden! The deeply cut basal leaves are said to orient themselves in a north-south direction and the early pioneers were said to have used this as their guide! It is also prized by birds, butterflies and pollinating insects!

Interesting Facts

Medicinal Uses: Early settlers used Compass plant to internally treat rheumatism. Dried leaves were considered useful as an antispasmodic, diuretic and expectorant. It was used to treat coughs and fevers.
Food Uses: Native Americans and settlers chewed a gum made from the sap.
Other Uses: It is a good grazing plant.
More Info: Only the petal-like ray flowers produce seeds. The roots can reach up to 15 feet deep.
Folklore: The Omaha and Ponca believed that lightening struck where Silphium lacinatum grew. Sometimes they burned the plant to ward off lightening.
Name: As the common name implies, it can be used as a compass since its leaves orient themselves north-south.

Option	Price	Quantity
3 1/2-inch pots	$4.25
5 3/4-inch pots	$7.95

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Do not use native plants for food or medicine based on the information in this website. The information listed here is included for entertainment only, not as a recommendation. Please do not eat any native plants!

Morning Sky Greenery is a Minnesota Native Plant Nursery, growing native plants for shoreline restoration, raingardens and infiltration basins, and backyard butterfly, birdwatcher and pollinator gardens. We carry many native plants of North America, specifically midwest varieties. We have the expertise and the plants available to make any size native landscape or garden project a success!

MN Native Wildflowers and Grasses • Native Prairie Plants • Native Plants of North America &bull Shoreline Restoration &bull Native Raingardens