Plant Preference/Growing Conditions:

Cup plant is grown in a very sunny area and it requires very low maintanence. It also requires an average amount of water. This plant can grow in soils ranging into most pHs.

Growth Habit/Description:

Large deciduous plant that grows between 4-8' tall and 1-3' wide. Leaves are large & oppositing in a way that forms a cup. Grows yellow flowers that each consist of many yellow rays and darker yellow discs. Its fruits is a cypsela although some may refer to it as an achene. This plant reproduces relatively fast and will sprout everywhere.

Bloom Season:

Yellow flower bloom at the top of the stalks during fall including July, August, and September.

Fall and/or Winter Interest?

Yes.  This plant blooms during fall which makes it very pretty while most other plants are absciding.

Attracts Birds?

Yes. The cup plant uses its cups to catch rain. With the rainwater that it catches in its cups it attracts birds (mostly hummingbirds) to the cups. This plant also attracts birds with its seeds that it produces following the flowers.

Other Benefits?

Yes. The cup plant also attracts butterflies and bees. They are both excellent pollinators that help in a garden so it is crucial to have plenty of plants that attract them.

Origin of Name:  Leaves form to make a cup that holds water

Related Plant Species:  Other members of the Silphium family also bloom in late summer-fall including compass plant (Silphium laciniatum), wholeleaf rosen weed (Silphium integrifolium), and prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum).

Use For Food/Medicine:

The root of this plant is used to make medicine. Cup plant is used to help with digestive disorders.

Augenstern, & Hvozdetskyi, I. (n.d.). Silphium perfoliatum. Gardenia. Retrieved September 2, 2026, from https://www.gardenia.net/plant/silphium-perfoliatum

Plant Database: Silphium perfoliatum. (n.d.). Lady Bird Johns - the University of Texas at Austinon Wildflower Center. Retrieved September 2, 2026, from https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=sipe2

Vitamins and Supplements - Cup Plant. (n.d.). RxList. Retrieved September 2, 2026, from https://www.rxlist.com/supplements/cup_plant.htm