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Photographer: John M. Schoeneker
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Family Asteraceae
Silphium perfoliatum L. var. perfoliatum
cup-plant
Silphium: old Greek generic name referring to resinous juice
perfoliatum: Latin for "through the leaf"
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| Status: | Native |
| Plant: | erect, perennial, 3'-8' tall forb; stems square in X-section, mostly smooth |
| Flower: | head 1 3/4"- 2 3/4" wide with 16-35 (usually 21 or 34) yellow rays 1/2"-1 1/2" long, disk 1/2"-1" wide; inflorescence of several heads in an open, branched cluster; blooms July-Sept. |
| Fruit: | dry seed with no fluffy pappus |
| Leaf: | opposite, strongly toothed, upper and lower leaves about the same size, surrounding the stem to form a cup |
| Habitat: | full to partial sun; wet to moderate moisture; prairies, woods, streambanks; in sandy, loamy soil |
| (Glossary) |
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