Cup Plant - Silphium perfoliatum
Above: Cup Plant at edge of woods between Marion Dunn and Oak Savanna in Madison, Wisconsin (7/5/20).
Cup Plant - Silphium perfoliatum
Cup Plant is a native perennial that grows from 3' to 8' tall and higher.
The flowers, appear from midsummer to autumn and look very similar to sunflowers, but are a lot smaller. The leaves are opposite, toothed and ovate. The petioles (the stalk that attaches the leaf blade to the stem) are widely winged and fused around the stem, forming a cup.
The Cup Plant is related to Rosinweed (Silphium integrifolium)), "Basal-leaved Rosinweed (Silphium terebinthinaceu)) and the Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum).
Silphium: old Greek generic name referring to resinous juice.
Perfoliatum: Having pierced leaves.
Above: The distinctive leaves create a "cup" around the stem.
For more information on the Cup Plant, visit Wikipedia.
Or, visit the UW-Madison Wisconsin State Herbarium website page about Cup Plant.
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Above: Cup Plant at edge of woods between Marion Dunn and Oak Savanna on July 4, 2019.
Above: Cup Plant at edge of woods between Marion Dunn and Oak Savanna on July 5, 2020.
Above: Cup Plant near Marion Dunn Pond on July 13, 2020.
Above: Cup Plant leaves near Marion Dunn Pond on July 17, 2020.
Above: Bumblebee on Cup Plant near Marion Dunn Pond on July 31, 2021.
Above: Cup Plant near Ho-Nee-Um boardwalk on August 22, 2020.
Above: Cup Plant on bank of Marion Dunn Pond on August 17, 2020.
Above: Cup Plant on bank of Marion Dunn Pond on August 14, 2020
Above: Cup Plant along Ho-Nee-Um boardwalk on July 26, 2020
Above: 1913 Cup Plant illustration.
