Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
5CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY
Genus host records with ranges including KY · Silphium
- Eucosma giganteanaGiant Eucosma
- Papaipema baptisiaeWild Indigo Borer, Indigo Stem Borer
- Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
- Papaipema silphiiSilphius Borer
- Tricholita notataX
36BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Silphium
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
7Specialist beesPollen specialists
Pollen specialists · Silphium
- Dianthidium curvatum
- Dieunomia heteropoda
- Megachile parallela
- Melissodes dentiventris
- Melissodes vernoniae
- Melissodes wheeleri
- Paranthidium jugatorium
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claimFlies 8
- Anthrax halcyon
- Archytas aterrima
- Eristalis tenax
- Exoprosopa fasciata
- Geron rufipes
- Milesia ornata
- Systoechus vulgaris
- Zodion obliquefasciatum
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
Adult butterflies / moths 9
- Anosia plexippus
- Atrytone delaware
- Limochores taumas
- Pholisora catullus
- Polygonia interrogationis
- Pontia protodice
- Vanessa atalanta
- Vanessa cardui
- Vanessa huntera
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
Other wasps 2
- Leionotus dorsalis
- Sphex procera
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Other insects
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 3a–9b
- Soil pH
- Acidic to alkaline
- Flower color
- Yellow
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Foliage color
- Green
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “July to September” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide · Nursery cultural guide; height in flower; moisture categories retained as printed
- Flower color · “Yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Hardiness · “Zones 3a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “4–8 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “1–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Common Cup plant; Cup Plant
Conservation status
| Kentucky rank | S4S5 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| KY status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
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Sources
- tnky_atlas
- usda
- nc_flora
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications