Cup Plant
Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum)
By Jeanette Siddons, Anoka County Master Gardener
The very hardy cup plant is native from East-central Canada to the Southeastern United States. It is a large, upright herbaceous perennial with up to 30 stalks of yellow daisy-like flowers. The flowers are two to three and a half inches across with up to 35 petals. Cup plants grow four to eight feet tall, depending on the moisture in the soil.
The cup plant gets its name from its large, coarse, basin-shaped leaves that hold water. Birds, insects, frogs, and toads make good use of these water basins that measure ten by six inches wide. The flowers atop the long, sturdy stems attract butterflies, birds, and bees. The blooms last from July through September.
The cup plant grows in low woods, meadows, alongside streams, ponds, and prairies. It tolerates many different soils, clay or wet, and does best in full sun but will be fine in part sun. The cup plant is hardy in Zones 3-9. It is very drought and heat tolerant once established, and it spreads by rhizomes.
This plant is relatively maintenance-free. Sometimes aphids find this plant, but the many birds and predatory insects that routinely visit take care of them. No disease problems.
For more information check out https://www.thespruce.com/cup-plant-profile-5069610T