Silphium perfoliatum, Cup Plant, quart or gallon pots

Silphium perfoliatum, Cup Plant Gallon pot

FS-PS, Zone 4, WD, blooms July - August. 6-10’’ x 4’, average soil, well drained, wet to medium.

This is one plant where the common name makes perfect sense!. As the botanical description - perfoliatum - suggests, each pair of leaves clasp the stem, making a cup. The rainwater that collects in these cups in tiny pools around the stem provide a source of water for insects and birds. Cup plants were once one of the dominant plants in the prairies, but because of widespread urban sprawl, they’re not common in the wild anymore. The plant grows quickly and produces robust square stems that stand upright. It can create colonies from short, fibrous rhizomes. We can’t say enough about how this plant benefits so many species of wildlife. We let the dead stalks stay on the plant during the winter to add interest to the garden and to provide a home for lady beetles and other insects.. A species of small brown aphid which often overwinters in the hollow stalks are a food source for spring-emerging ladybugs. We leave the aphids on the Cup Plant as food for birds and beneficial insects and have never seen the aphids damage the plant.

The daisy-like yellow blossoms attract a wide range of pollinating insects and Gold finches, which feast on the seeds. For years at Detroit Abloom we’ve given dozens of cup plants as gifts to people who visit the gardens and encouraged people to plant this magnificent plant in their gardens—as long as you there’s enough room in a sunny spot. The cup plant will form an expanding clump over time that can be divided every several years. Please give “starts” to friends to spread its glories.

Attracts a wide range of pollinating insects, including native wasps, bees, honey bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and moths. Sparrows and finches love their seeds. Host plant for Silphium Moth.