Plant Details
A rarely offered, tall prairie plant from North America. Features sunflower-like flowers (to 5" wide) with yellow rays and yellow center disks. Flowers bloom in loose spikes on the upper parts of the plant in summer.
An interesting point to note is that the leaves of the young plants orientate themselves north and south. Hence the common name, Compass Plant.
Good height for the rear of the border. Also excellent for naturalizing in prairies, cottage gardens, wildflower gardens or native plant gardens.
Split or broken stems exude a gummy, fragrant-but-bitter resin which was used by Native Americans as a mouth-cleansing chewing gum.
Height: 2m
Common name(s): Compass Plant, Pilot Weed, Polar Plant.
Genus name comes from the Greek name silphion used for a North African resin bearing plant.
Specific epithet means slashed or torn into narrow segments for the deeply cut leaves.
