Silphium perfoliatum

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Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens only. View county names by placing the mouse cursor over a particular county.

Family:	ASTERACEAE
Species:	Silphium perfoliatum L.
Common Name:	Common Cup Plant; Indian Cup; Carpenter's Square
Habitat:	**
Associated Ecological Communities:	**
Growth Habit:	Herb
Duration:	Perennial
Category:	Vascular
USDA Symbol:	**
Plant Notes:	Common Cup Plant is a native herbaceous perennial in the Sunflower family (Asteraceae). It occurs in western Alabama, primarily in the Black Belt region. Common Cup Plant is found on chalk prairies, on cedar glades, on marl outcrops, and in roadside ditches. It often occurs in areas with moist, basic soils derived from limestone. It is a perennial with fibrous roots from a short rhizome. The stems are 3-8 feet in height, unbranched below the inflorescence, green in color, square in cross section, and glabrous, hispid, or scabrous. Leaves are basal and cauline. The basal and lower stem leaves are large and usually absent at flowering. Basal leaves are petiolate, lanceolate to ovate in outline, scabrous to hispid, with toothed margins. Stem leaves are opposite, petiolate or sessile, lanceolate to ovate in outline, scabrous to hispid, with toothed margins. The upper stem leaves often form a “cup” that catches and holds rain water. Flowers are produced in heads. The heads are arranged in corymbs. Each head has 17-35 yellow ray flowers and 85-150 yellow disc flowers. The fruit is an achene. Birds are attracted to and drink from the water held in the cup leaves, and Goldfinches feed on the seed. Common Cup Plant is sometimes available from nurseries. It prefers a sunny site with moist, loamy soil. Plants can also be grown from seed, but will not usually flower until their second year. Plants can be used in pollinator gardens or in meadows.—A. Diamond.
Taxonomic Notes:	**
Status:	Native
References:	**
Specimen:	View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

Family	ASTERACEAE - Aster family
Genus	Silphium
Species	Silphium perfoliatum L. - Common Cup Plant; Indian Cup; Carpenter's Square

Citation

Citation	Silphium perfoliatum Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10. 2: 1232. 1759.
Basionym:	**
Type:	Without data, (lectotype: LINN 1032.3). Lectotypified by Reveal in Jarvis & Turland (ed.), Taxon 47 : 367. 1998.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

No synonyms exist for this species.

No synonyms exist for this species.

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Hale, Lauderdale, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, Washington

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AMAL, AUA, TROY, UNA, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1965 - 1965

Barcode / Accession No.	County	Coll. Date	Collector & Collection No.	Herbarium & Herbarium Name Used
TROY000016697	Marengo	07 Aug 2008	Diamond, Alvin R. 19721	TROY Silphium perfoliatum Linnaeus
TROY000044554	Hale	03 Aug 2008	Spaulding, Daniel D. 13146A	TROY Silphium perfoliatum Linnaeus
AMAL00012185	Sumter	24 Jul 2003	Kral, R. 94252	AMAL Silphium perfoliatum L.
TROY000046142	Pickens	11 Sep 2011	Keener, Brian R. 6693	TROY Silphium perfoliatum Linnaeus
AMAL00002730	Hale	03 Aug 2008	Spaulding, Daniel D. 13146	AMAL Silphium perfoliatum L.
AMAL00017008	Hale	01 Sep 2009	Barger, T. Wayne 183	AMAL Silphium perfoliatum L. var. perfoliatum
AMAL00013209	Hale	15 Jul 2007	Keener, Brian R. 3759	AMAL Silphium perfoliatum L. var. perfoliatum
TROY000014670	Marengo	08 Aug 2008	England, J. Kevin 872	TROY Silphium perfoliatum Linnaeus var. perfoliatum
ALNHS00002247	Perry	17 Jun 2013	Barger, T. Wayne SP#1184	ALNHS Silphium perfoliatum L.
TROY000040749	Perry	13 Aug 2011	Keener, Brian R. 6623	TROY Silphium perfoliatum Linnaeus
AMAL00004854	Hale	03 Aug 2008	Spaulding, Daniel D. 13146	AMAL Silphium perfoliatum L.
UWAL0009320	Marengo	08 Aug 2008	England, J. Kevin 872	UWAL Silphium perfoliatum L. var. perfoliatum
TROY000041034	Washington	22 Jul 2012	Keener, Brian R. 7410	TROY Silphium perfoliatum Linnaeus
AMAL00021316	Sumter	24 Jul 2008	Keener, Brian R. 4699	AMAL Silphium perfoliatum L.
TROY000016203	Hale	15 Jul 2007	Keener, Brian R. 3759	TROY Silphium perfoliatum Linnaeus var. perfoliatum
UWAL0009319	Hale	15 Jul 2007	Keener, Brian R. 3759	UWAL Silphium perfoliatum L. var. perfoliatum
UWAL0009322	Sumter	24 Jul 2008	Keener, Brian R. 4699	UWAL Silphium perfoliatum L.
UNA00067093	Hale	15 Jul 2007	Keener, Brian R. 3759	UNA Silphium perfoliatum L. var. perfoliatum
UNA00065928	Sumter	24 Jul 2003	Kral, Robert 94252	UNA Silphium perfoliatum L.
UWAL0009949	Hale	03 Aug 2008	Spaulding, Daniel D. 13146	UWAL Silphium perfoliatum L.
TROY000016202	Sumter	24 Jul 2003	Kral, Robert 94252	TROY Silphium perfoliatum Linnaeus
UWAL0011367	Pickens	11 Sep 2011	Keener, Brian R. 6693	UWAL Silphium perfoliatum Linnaeus
UNA00049390	Hale	02 Jul 1965	Maginness, Sherrie E. 36	UNA Silphium perfoliatum L.
UNA00065930	Sumter	24 Jul 2003	Kral, Robert 94252	UNA Silphium perfoliatum L.
AUA000046609	Washington	10 Jul 2014	BARGER, T.WAYNE SP1410	AUA SILPHIUM PERFOLIATUM L.
TROY000016201	Sumter	24 Jul 2003	Kral, Robert 94252	TROY Silphium perfoliatum Linnaeus
AMAL00012184	Sumter	24 Jul 2003	Kral, R. 94252	AMAL Silphium perfoliatum L.
UWAL0016333	Perry	13 Aug 2014	Diamond, Alvin R. 25439	UWAL Silphium perfoliatum Linnaeus
AUA000028209	Perry	17 Jun 2013	BARGER, T.WAYNE SP1184	AUA SILPHIUM PERFOLIATUM L.
TROY000041587	Perry	13 Aug 2014	Diamond, Alvin R. 25439	TROY Silphium perfoliatum Linnaeus
TROY000016204	Sumter	24 Jul 2003	Kral, Robert 94252	TROY Silphium perfoliatum Linnaeus
TROY000028481	Sumter	24 Jul 2008	Keener, Brian R. 4699	TROY Silphium perfoliatum Linnaeus
ALNHS00003045	Washington	10 Jul 2014	Barger, T. Wayne SP#1410	ALNHS Silphium perfoliatum L.
AMAL00021382	Marengo	08 Aug 2008	England, J. Kevin 872	AMAL Silphium perfoliatum L. var. perfoliatum
UWAL0011836	Washington	22 Jul 2012	Keener, Brian R. 7410	UWAL Silphium perfoliatum Linnaeus
AUA000024476	Lauderdale	29 Aug 2004	SPAULDING, DANIEL D. 12159	AUA SILPHIUM PERFOLIATUM L. VAR. PERFOLIATUM
UWAL0009321	Sumter	24 Jul 2008	Keener, Brian R. 4699	UWAL Silphium perfoliatum L.
UWAL0009948	Hale	03 Aug 2008	Spaulding, Daniel D. 13146	UWAL Silphium perfoliatum L.
UWAL0012061	Perry	13 Aug 2011	Keener, Brian R. 6623	UWAL Silphium perfoliatum Linnaeus
AUA000024477	Lauderdale	29 Aug 2004	SPAULDING, DANIEL D. 12159	AUA SILPHIUM PERFOLIATUM L. VAR. PERFOLIATUM
una00069230	Marengo	08 Aug 2008	England, J. Kevin 872	UNA Silphium perfoliatum L.

View a List of All Ecological Communities

For more information, contact: Brian R. Keener, Ph.D.

Data last modified: 8/17/2025

Web Development: The Florida Center for Community Design + Research

A member of the University of South Florida family of PlantAtlas.org sites

Citation Information:

Keener, B.R., A.R. Diamond, T.W. Barger, L.J. Davenport, P.G. Davison, S.L. Ginzbarg, C.J. Hansen, D.D. Spaulding, J.K. Triplett, and M. Woods. 2025. Alabama Plant Atlas. [S.M. Landry and K.N. Campbell (original application development), Florida Center for Community Design and Research. University of South Florida]. University of West Alabama, Livingston, Alabama.

Data, text, and images licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Silphium perfoliatum

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Classification

Citation

Synonyms

Specimens and Distribution