Bloomipedia
Compass plant (Silphium laciniatum)
Photo: Peter Chen 2.0 via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Compass plant

Silphium laciniatum

Compass plant (Silphium laciniatum) is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly June–August across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

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.

25states where USDA records it
7Bloomipedia state lists include it
15,037U.S. sightings*

*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 July–August. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 4,611 research-grade sightings of it in Illinois, ranking #21 among the 180 flowers on our Illinois list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 2,808 research-grade sightings of it in Wisconsin, ranking #43 among the 161 flowers on our Wisconsin list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 880 research-grade sightings of it in Missouri, ranking #77 among the 177 flowers on our Missouri list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (735 records)
Bloom time in the 7 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
IllinoisNativeJune–August4,611
WisconsinNativeJuly–August2,808
MissouriNativefew records (25)880
KansasNativefew records (21)863
IowaNativeJuly–August728
ArkansasNativefew records (30)662
NebraskaNativefew records (8)222

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
State rare plant lists
Not listed Not on the official rare plant list in 5 of our 7 states.
See each state
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
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
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
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.
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.
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?

For peopleNot well documented

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.

For petsNot well documented

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.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 483 counties across 25 states; the most are in Missouri (89), Illinois (86), Kansas (57).

Other Silphium on Bloomipedia (3): Cup plant, Prairie dock, Prairie rosinweed.

More from the Asteraceae family (212 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common yarrow, Goldenrods, White snakeroot, Sunflowers, Chicory, Black-eyed Susan, Bull thistle, Common dandelion.

More Illinois flowers

White snakeroot (Ageratina altissima)

White snakeroot

Ageratina altissima

Native

🌼 Blooms in IL: August–October
Chicory (Cichorium intybus)

Chicory

Cichorium intybus

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in IL: June–September
Grey-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)

Grey-headed coneflower

Ratibida pinnata

Native

🌼 Blooms in IL: July–August

Sources