Flower profile
Compass plant
Silphium laciniatum
Compass plant is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 7 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–August.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin
Quick look
Silphium laciniatum is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known commonly as compassplant or compass plant. It is native to North America, where it occurs in Ontario in Canada and the eastern and central United States as far west as New Mexico. Other common names include prairie compass plant, pilotweed, polarplant, gum weed, cut-leaf silphium, and turpentine plant.
- It belongs to the Asteraceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 25 states. USDA PLANTS
- In Illinois, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–August. iNaturalist
- In Wisconsin, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–September. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 4,611 research-grade sightings of it in Illinois, ranking #21 among the 109 flowers on our Illinois list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 2,808 research-grade sightings of it in Wisconsin, ranking #43 among the 109 flowers on our Wisconsin list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 880 research-grade sightings of it in Missouri, ranking #76 among the 109 flowers on our Missouri list. iNaturalist
Compass plant gift ideas
Handmade compass plant gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Compass plant art print
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Compass plant greeting card
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Compass plant mug
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Compass plant earrings
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Compass plant embroidery pattern
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Compass plant sticker
When does it bloom?
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Illinois
- Not listed Not on Illinois List of Endangered and Threatened Flora (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1050), per the Endangered Species Protection Board's 2025 checklist. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Illinois. IL E&T checklist 2025
- Wisconsin
- Not listed Not on Wisconsin endangered and threatened species list (Wis. Admin. Code NR 27.03). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Wisconsin. NR 27.03
- Missouri
- Not listed Not on Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Missouri. 3 CSR 10-4.111
- Kansas
- No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe: S5, secure in Kansas.
- Iowa
- Not listed Not on Iowa endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Iowa Admin. Code r. 571-77.3). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Iowa. IAC 571-77.3
- Arkansas
- No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arkansas.
- Nebraska
- Not listed Not on Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nebraska. 163 NAC 4-004
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: CO (SH), KY (S2), MI (S1), OH (S1), TN (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records compass plant in 25 states plus Washington, D.C.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.
Illinois counties with USDA records: Adams, Alexander, Bond, Boone, Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Coles, Cook, Crawford, Cumberland, De Witt, DeKalb, Douglas, DuPage, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Iroquois, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Knox, LaSalle, Lake, Lawrence, Lee, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Mason, Massac, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Mercer, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Perry, Piatt, Putnam, Randolph, Richland, Rock Island, Sangamon, Scott, Shelby, St. Clair, Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, Vermilion, Washington, Wayne, Whiteside, Will, Williamson, Winnebago, Woodford.
Wisconsin counties with USDA records: Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Kenosha, La Crosse, Lafayette, Marquette, Milwaukee, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Taylor, Vernon, Walworth, Winnebago.
Missouri counties with USDA records: Adair, Andrew, Atchison, Audrain, Barry, Barton, Bates, Benton, Boone, Caldwell, Callaway, Camden, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, Chariton, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cole, Cooper, Crawford, Dade, Dallas, Daviess, DeKalb, Douglas, Gasconade, Gentry, Greene, Grundy, Harrison, Henry, Hickory, Holt, Howell, Jackson, Jasper, Johnson, Knox, Laclede, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Maries, Marion, McDonald, Mercer, Miller, Moniteau, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Nodaway, Oregon, Osage, Ozark, Pettis, Phelps, Pike, Polk, Pulaski, Putnam, Ralls, Randolph, Ray, Ripley, Saline, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, St. Charles, St. Clair, St. Louis, Stone, Sullivan, Taney, Texas, Vernon, Warren, Webster, Worth, Wright.
More Illinois flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile SILA3.
- iNaturalist, Silphium laciniatum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Silphium laciniatum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Illinois: Illinois List of Endangered and Threatened Flora (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1050), per the Endangered Species Protection Board's 2025 checklist.
- Illinois: Illinois Official List of Exotic Weeds (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1100.30, Illinois Exotic Weed Act).
- Wisconsin: Wisconsin endangered and threatened species list (Wis. Admin. Code NR 27.03).
- Wisconsin: Wisconsin invasive species rule (Wis. Admin. Code NR 40.04 prohibited, NR 40.05 restricted).
- Missouri: Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants.
- Missouri: Missouri noxious weed list (2 CSR 70-45.005).
- Kansas: Kansas noxious weeds (K.A.R. 4-8-44, as amended 2026).
- Iowa: Iowa endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Iowa Admin. Code r. 571-77.3).
- Iowa: Iowa noxious weeds (Iowa Code § 317.1A).
- Arkansas: Arkansas State Plant Board noxious weeds and prohibited plants (2 CAR § 50-101).
- Nebraska: Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004).
- Nebraska: Nebraska noxious weeds (25 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 10, § 001.02).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Silphium laciniatum (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Peter Chen 2.0 via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.