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.
Keystone Species - Cup plant is considered a keystone plant and a vital species for ecosystem health. It is highly valuable because its unique, cupped leaves create elevated, small-scale aquatic habitats for insects and birds, while providing a major source of pollen and seeds throughout the summer and autumn. It is a larval-host plant for 6 species of moths. Studies have shown that a single, large plant can support over 100 different invertebrate species. The large, tall stalks offer shelter, and its seeds are a vital, nutritious food source for birds, particularly American Goldfinches, during late summer and into autumn.
Considered athreatened species in Michican.
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. This is a nectar rich plant! Sparrows and finches love their seeds. Host plant for Silphium Moth and many other moth species.
DA Planting Notes - If you have the space you can create a summer hedge/wall by planting side by side. Tom’s favorite plant! Perhaps you’ve come to DA and left with a Cup Plant!
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.
Keystone Species - Cup plant is considered a keystone plant and a vital species for ecosystem health. It is highly valuable because its unique, cupped leaves create elevated, small-scale aquatic habitats for insects and birds, while providing a major source of pollen and seeds throughout the summer and autumn. It is a larval-host plant for 6 species of moths. Studies have shown that a single, large plant can support over 100 different invertebrate species. The large, tall stalks offer shelter, and its seeds are a vital, nutritious food source for birds, particularly American Goldfinches, during late summer and into autumn.
Considered athreatened species in Michican.
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. This is a nectar rich plant! Sparrows and finches love their seeds. Host plant for Silphium Moth and many other moth species.
DA Planting Notes - If you have the space you can create a summer hedge/wall by planting side by side. Tom’s favorite plant! Perhaps you’ve come to DA and left with a Cup Plant!
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