Bloomipedia
Cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum)
Photo: Kaden Slone via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Cup plant

Silphium perfoliatum

Native in the lower 48

Cup plant is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 6 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in July–September.

31states
6of our state lists
16,798U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin

Quick look

Silphium perfoliatum, the cup plant or cup-plant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to eastern and central North America. It is an erect herbaceous perennial with triangular toothed leaves, and daisy-like yellow composite flower heads in summer.

  • 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 31 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri. NatureServe
  • In Illinois, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in July–September. iNaturalist
  • In Wisconsin, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in July–September. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as yellow. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as late summer. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 6 ft. USDA PLANTS
  • iNaturalist has 4,111 research-grade sightings of it in Illinois, ranking #29 among the 109 flowers on our Illinois list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 2,472 research-grade sightings of it in Wisconsin, ranking #50 among the 109 flowers on our Wisconsin list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1,659 research-grade sightings of it in Minnesota, ranking #79 among the 110 flowers on our Minnesota list. iNaturalist

Cup plant gift ideas

Handmade cup 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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    Cup plant art print

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    Cup plant mug

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (948 records)
Bloom time in each of our 6 states
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
IllinoisNativeJuly–September4,111
WisconsinNativeJuly–September2,472
MinnesotaNativeJuly–September1,659
IndianaNativeJuly–September1,134
IowaNativeJuly–August838
MissouriNativeJuly–September741

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
Minnesota
Not listed Not on Minnesota endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Minn. R. 6134.0300). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Minnesota. Minn. R. 6134.0300
Indiana
No list Indiana has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the DNR keeps a rare plant list, but it isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Indiana ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Indiana.
Iowa
Not listed Not on Iowa endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Iowa Admin. Code r. 571-77.3). NatureServe: S5, secure in Iowa. IAC 571-77.3
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
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: LA (SH), MI (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 edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. NC State Extension

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 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 cup plant in 31 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Illinois counties with USDA records: Adams, Bond, Boone, Brown, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Champaign, Clark, Clay, Coles, Cook, Crawford, Cumberland, DeKalb, Douglas, DuPage, Edgar, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Iroquois, Jackson, Jefferson, Jersey, Jo Daviess, Johnson, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Knox, LaSalle, Lake, Lawrence, Lee, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McHenry, McLean, Menard, Mercer, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Perry, Piatt, Pike, Pope, Pulaski, Putnam, Randolph, Richland, Rock Island, Sangamon, Schuyler, Scott, St. Clair, Stark, Stephenson, Tazewell, Union, Vermilion, Wabash, Warren, Washington, Whiteside, Will, Williamson, Winnebago, Woodford.

Wisconsin counties with USDA records: Adams, Buffalo, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Douglas, Dunn, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jackson, Kenosha, La Crosse, Lafayette, Monroe, Oneida, Pierce, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Sawyer, Shawano, Trempealeau, Vernon, Vilas, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha.

Minnesota counties with USDA records: Anoka, Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown, Carver, Cottonwood, Dakota, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Hennepin, Houston, Jackson, Lac qui Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, Mower, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Olmsted, Pine, Pipestone, Ramsey, Redwood, Rice, Scott, Sherburne, Swift, Wabasha, Waseca, Washington, Wilkin, Winona, Wright, Yellow Medicine.

More Illinois flowers

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Chicory (Cichorium intybus)

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Sources