WorldFloraDB - Silphium laciniatum

Characteristics

Plants scapiform, (40–)100–300 cm; taprooted. Stems terete, hirsute, hispid, or scabrous. Leaves: basal persistent, petiolate or sessile; cauline petiolate or sessile; blades lanceolate, linear, ovate, or rhombic, 4–60 × 1–30 cm, usually (proximal) 1–2-pinnately lobed, bases attenuate to truncate, ultimate margins unevenly toothed or entire, apices acute, faces hirsute, hispid, or scabrous. Phyllaries 25–45 in 2–3 series, outer reflexed or appressed, apices acuminate to caudate, abaxial faces hispid to scabrous, ± stipitate-glandular. Ray florets 27–38; corollas yellow. Disc florets 100–275; corollas yellow. Cypselae 10–18 × 6–12 mm; pappi 1–3 mm. 2n = 14.

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Coarse, taprooted, rough-hairy, 1–3 m; lvs alternate, deeply pinnatifid or bipinnatifid, the lower very large, to 5 dm, progressively reduced upwards, the uppermost entire and well under 1 dm; heads in a narrow, sometimes racemiform infl, large, the disk 2–3 cm wide; invol 2–4 cm, exceeding the disk, its bracts ovate, acuminate, squarrose, not much imbricate; rays (13–)17–25(–34), 2–5 cm; 2n=14. Prairies; O. to Minn. and S.D., s. to Ala. and Tex.; locally intr. e. along railroads to N.Y. July–Sept. The basal lvs tend to align themselves in a north-south direction.

A daisy family plant. It grows 1.5-3 m high and spreads 0.9-1.2 m wide. It is strongly erect and hairy. The leaves are feather like and 10-40 cm long. They align north/south. The flowers are bright yellow and in clusters. The flower heads are 5 cm wide.

Life form

perennial

Growth form

herb

Growth support

free-standing

Foliage retention

deciduous

Sexuality

hermaphrodite

Pollination

entomogamy

Spread

-

Mature width (meter)

0.6 - 1.0

Mature height (meter)

2.0 - 3.0

Root system

rhizome tap-root

Rooting depth (meter)

3.0

Root diameter (meter)

0.4

Flower color

Blooming months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Fruit color

-

Fruiting months

-

Nitrogen fixer

-

Photosynthetic pathway

c3

Environment

Prairies, glades and open, disturbed sites; at elevations from 50-600 metres. Calcareous or sandy soils and prairies in Texas.

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It is a temperate plant. It suits hardiness zones 4-9.

Light
Soil humidity
Soil texture
Soil acidity
Soil nutriment	-
Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

The sap from the upper part of the flower stalk is used as a chewing gum.

Uses	fuel gum material medicinal
Edible	flowers saps stems
Therapeutic use	Veterinary Aid (root), Witchcraft Medicine (root), Emetic (root), Tonic (root), Alterative (unspecified), Asthma (unspecified), Bactericide (unspecified), Catarrh (unspecified), Cough (unspecified), Expectorant (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Spasm (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Emetic (unspecified), Masticatory (unspecified), Lung (unspecified), Sudorific (unspecified)
Human toxicity	-
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

Can be grown by divisions or seedlings.

Mode	divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days)	84
Germination temperacture (C°)	4
Germination luminosity	-
Germination treatment	-
Minimum temperature (C°)	-33
Optimum temperature (C°)	-
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-