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

Flower profile

Cup plant

Silphium perfoliatum

Cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly July–September across the U.S.

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 where USDA records it
6Bloomipedia state lists include it
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–August. 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 180 flowers on our Illinois list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 2,472 research-grade sightings of it in Wisconsin, ranking #50 among the 161 flowers on our Wisconsin list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 1,659 research-grade sightings of it in Minnesota, ranking #79 among the 152 flowers on our Minnesota list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (948 records)
Bloom time in the 6 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
IllinoisNativeJuly–September4,111
WisconsinNativeJuly–August2,472
MinnesotaNativeJuly–September1,659
IndianaNativeJuly–September1,134
IowaNativeJuly–August838
MissouriNativefew records (25)741

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 6 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
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
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
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.
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.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Cup plant a medium shade tolerance and low drought tolerance. It is rated for soil pH 4.5 to 7.5 and winter lows down to -49 °F.

Shade tolerance
Medium
Drought tolerance
Low
Soil textures it is adapted to
coarse, medium, fine
Soil pH range
4.5 to 7.5
Minimum temperature tolerated
-49 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum)
128
Annual precipitation range
16 to 51 inches
Growth rate
Rapid
Active growth period
Summer
Fruit or seed
Brown
Can be propagated by
container, seed

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for SIPE2. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

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

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 592 counties across 28 states; the most are in Missouri (102), Illinois (89), Indiana (59).

Other Silphium on Bloomipedia (3): Compass 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
Compass plant (Silphium laciniatum)

Compass plant

Silphium laciniatum

Native

🌼 Blooms in IL: June–August

Sources