Silphium laciniatum

Silphium laciniatum subsp. var.	Compass plant
File:Compass plant.jpg	Habit: herbaceous Height: ⇕ to Width: ⇔ to 5ft10ft 3ft4ft Height: ⇕ 5 ft to 10 ft Width: ⇔ 3 ft to 4 ft Lifespan: ⌛ perennial Origin: ✈ Poisonous: ☠ Bloom: ❀ early summer, mid summer, late summer	Exposure: ☼ sun, part-sun Water: ◍ Features: ✓ flowers, drought tolerant Hidden fields, interally pass variables to right place Minimum Temp: ☃ °Fwarning.png"°F" is not a number. USDA Zones: 4 to 9 Sunset Zones: Flower features: ❀ orange, yellow
	Asteraceae > Silphium laciniatum var. ,

Silphium laciniatum (Compass Flower, Compass Plant or Rosinweed) is a species of flowering plant in the genus Silphium. It is native to east-central North America.

It is a perennial herbaceous plant similar in appearance to a sunflower, growing to 1-4 m tall, with bristly-hairy stems. The leaves are alternately arranged, and deeply pinnately lobed; the basal leaves up to 40 cm long, becoming smaller higher up the stem. The flowers are produced in flowerheads (capitula) 5-12 cm diameter, with a ring of ray florets surrounding the 2-3 cm diameter center of disc florets. Flowering is in late summer, typically from July to September.

Compass plants are so named because they tend to align their foliage East-West to present the minimum surface area to the hot noon sunshine. The taproot of the compass plant may grow to more than 9-14 ft. deep, making it hardy and resistant to drought.

Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Silphium laciniatum, Linn. Compass Plant. St. about 6 ft. high, leafy at the base, much less so above, very rough: lvs. 1 ft. long or more, once or twice pinnately parted, the lobes oblong or lanceolate: fl.-heads several, sessile or short-peduncled, 2-5 in. across; rays 20-30. July-Sept. Ohio, west and south.— It is said of this species that the st.-lvs. tend to point north and south. CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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