Silphium laciniatum
| Silphium laciniatum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 7' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Silphium laciniatum (common name: compass plant)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse[1]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring[2]. This is very difficult due to the deep and extensive root system.
Cultivation: Succeeds in any ordinary garden soil[3]. Prefers a deep moisture retentive moderately fertile soil that is not too nitrogen rich, in sun or dappled shade[1]. Prefers a shady position[1].
A very ornamental plant[3]. Leaves of young plants tip vertically and align themselves north to south to minimise exposure to the midday sun[1].
Plants have a deep and extensive root system which makes transplanting difficult[1].
Range: Central N. America - Ohio to Minnesota, south to Alabama and Texas.
Habitat: Prairies and glades[4]. Calcareous or sandy soils and prairies in Texas[5].
Edibility: A resin exudes naturally from the plant, and can also be obtained by incision[6]. It is an inexpensive substitute for mastic and is used as a chewing gum to sweeten the breath[6][7][8][9]. It forms on the upper part of the flowering stem[10].
Medicinal: The resin obtained from the plant is diuretic[6][7][4]. It imparts a strong aromatic odour to urine[6].
A tea made from the roots is vermifuge and a tonic for general debility[6][7][4]. It is used as an expectorant in coughs and other pulmonary ailments[6]. A decoction of the smaller roots has been used as an emetic[9].
A tea made from the leaves is emetic, it has also been used in the treatment of coughs, lung ailments and asthma[4].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: There is a report that the plant might be toxic[4].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Diggs, George and Barney Lipscomb. Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas. Botanical Research Institute, 1999.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.