Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Campanulids: Asterales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Silphium perfoliatum
FAMILY
Asteraceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Common Cup-plant at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Silphium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21 (2006)
Silphium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-54-001:
Silphium perfoliatum FAMILY Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Silphium perfoliatum
COMMON NAME:
Common Cup-plant, Indian Cup
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Will Stuart wil_sperfol_20230630_0244
June Ashe NC
Stem square in crosssection, glabrous or glabrescent (vs. stem of S. connatum spreading-hispid), per Weakley's Flora (2023).
)
Will Stuart wil_sperfol_20230630_0323
June Ashe NC
)
Will Stuart wil_sperfol_20230630_0358
June Ashe NC
The upper leaves connate, fused basally, the stem thus perfoliate, per Weakley's Flora (2023).
)
Will Stuart wil_sperfol_20230630_0413
June Ashe NC
)
JK Marlow jkm250707_1501
July Greenville County SC
Furman University, in cultivation
)
JK Marlow jkm250707_1502
July Greenville County SC
Furman University, in cultivation
)
JK Marlow jkm250707_1504
July Greenville County SC
Furman University, in cultivation
)
JK Marlow jkm250707_1505
July Greenville County SC
Furman University, in cultivation
)
JK Marlow jkm250707_1508
July Greenville County SC
Furman University, in cultivation
Flower heads with usually ~21 or ~34 rays (vs. S. connatum usually ~8 or ~13 rays), per Weakley's Flora (2025).
)
JK Marlow jkm250712_1604
July Greenville County SC
Furman University, in cultivation
)
JK Marlow jkm140803_299
August Greenville County SC
Furman University, in cultivation
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Silphium perfoliatum
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Silphium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21
Silphium perfoliatum var. perfoliatum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-54-001:
Silphium perfoliatum
FAMILY
Asteraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Silphium perfoliatum
1387
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: floodplain forests and openings, especially over calcareous substrates; sometimes escaped from cultivation, per Weakley's Flora
Native to North Carolina
Uncommon in NC
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Opposite (connate-perfoliate)
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Rays: Yellow
Disc: Yellow
Flower heads with 17-35 ray flowers, notched at apex
Inferior ovary
Disc flowers functionally staminate/ Ray flowers pistillate & fertile
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Achene
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- All About South Carolina Wildflowers (Midgley, 1999) p259
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p172?
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p392
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p300
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p325
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p376?
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p199
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