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Compass Plant

Silphium laciniatum

Compass plant is a tallgrass-prairie icon with huge, deeply cut leaves that align north-south and a towering spire of yellow flowers over a taproot many feet deep. Goldfinches strip its seeds. A natural resin from the flowering stem has traditionally been chewed like gum; there's an isolated report the plant may be toxic, so treat this as a curiosity rather than a food.

Family

Asteraceae

Type

wildflower

Lifespan

perennial

Height

5–9 ft

Spacing

1.5–3 ft apart

Light

sun

Soil moisture

moist

Soil pH

neutral, alkaline

Bloom

July, August, September

Bloom colors

yellow

Wildlife value

songbirds, butterflies, pollinators

Landscape uses

border

Native states

AL, AR, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, ND, NE, NM, OH, OK, PA, SD, TN, TX, WI