What is the compass flower?
What is the compass flower?
Compass Plant is one of a group of tall, mostly prairie sunflowers, some with very large leaves. The common name refers to the plant’s deeply incised leaves, which tend to be oriented in a north-south direction. The hardened sap of this plant can be chewed like gum.
How do you identify a compass plant?
The easiest way to identify compass plant is by noting its huge, deeply cleft basal leaves. Compass plant is a tall, showy, yellow rosinweed with hairy stems. In rosinweeds, the disk of the flowerheads is relatively small (compared to true sunflowers); the disk has staminate florets only, which do not produce seeds.
How deep are Compass roots?
10 to 15 feet
The plant’s root is equally impressive, attaining a depth of 10 to 15 feet. This enables it to weather prairie droughts and survive prairie burns. Left undisturbed, compass plant can attain a height of 6 to 8 feet every year, die back, and begin the growth cycle again, all due to its incredible root system.
Is called the compass plant?
: a yellow-flowered composite plant (Silphium laciniatum) that has large pinnatifid leaves in which the leaf edges typically align in a northerly and southerly direction and that occurs especially in prairies and along roadsides of the central U.S.
How tall does a prairie compass plant grow?
This tall prairie plant from the sunflower family can live up to 100 years Botanical Name Silphium laciniatum Common Name Prairie Compass Plant, Pilot Weed, Gum W Plant Type Perennial herb Mature Size Up to 10 foot Sun Exposure Full Sun
What kind of plant is a compass plant?
The Compass Plant ( Silphium laciniatum) is a tall, long-lived, low-maintenance perennial member of the sunflower family. It has a rough-haired stem and clusters of eye-catching yellow flowers that grow up at the top of the plant.
Where does the compass plant grow in Illinois?
Compass Plant is fairly common throughout most of Illinois, except in the SE and scattered western counties, where it is uncommon or absent (see Distribution Map). This plant recovers from occasional fires readily. Compass Plant is native to Illinois.
When is the best time to plant a compass plant?
The easiest way to propagate compass plant is by planting stratified seed in the spring or unstratified seed in the fall. Moist stratification (60 days at 40 degrees F) and scarification will promote germination of this species. To scarify the seed, nick the seed coat with a sharp knife prior to planting. The initial year the seedling will exist as