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Common Cup-plant

Silphium perfoliatum

Found in floodplain forests and openings, especially over calcareous substrates; sometimes escaped from cultivation. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

61
Strong

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
4–8 feet
Spread
1–3 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 2 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 25 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
June to September

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 10 Virginia counties.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

5CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Silphium

  • Eucosma giganteanaGiant Eucosma
  • Hydraecia immanisHop Borer, Hop Vine Borer
  • Papaipema baptisiaeWild Indigo Borer, Indigo Stem Borer
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Tricholita notataX
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
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
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
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Flies 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 · “June to September” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • 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 (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, USDA PLANTS, Minnesota Wildflowers, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
  • 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 (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
  • primary_flower_color · “yellow” · USDA PLANTS
  • Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
  • 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

Virginia rankS3S4
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Growing cautions

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources