compass plant

Silphium laciniatum

The compass plant is a tall, bright yellow flower that grows in prairies. Its leaves point north and south, helping people find their way in nature!

Lebensraum: Grasslands

Aussehen

The compass plant is a tall, coarse-textured prairie perennial with robust stems and large, deeply lobed leaves. It produces striking yellow, daisy-like flower heads up to 10 cm across, often found solitary or in small clusters at the top of its sturdy stalks.

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compass plant

Kategorie

Pflanzen

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Even after a prairie fire, compass plants often sprout back quickly, thanks to their deep roots that survive underground!

It's a 'living fossil' of the ancient prairies, often growing in the same spots for decades and supporting many creatures.

Its unique leaves were once used by early pioneers as a natural compass to find their way across vast prairies!

The plant's scientific name, Silphium, comes from an ancient Greek plant that produced a valuable resin, similar to its sticky sap.

Besondere Fähigkeiten

The compass plant can orient its large, deeply lobed leaves to align mostly north and south, minimizing sun exposure during the hottest part of the day.

Compass plant has a massive taproot that can grow over 15 feet deep, helping it reach water far underground and survive droughts.

When its stem is broken, the compass plant releases a sticky resin that helps heal wounds and deters herbivores from further damage.

Maße und Details

Höhe: 150-300 cm
Ausbreitung: 60-120 cm
Blütengröße: 5-10 cm
Blütezeit: Summer to early Fall
Essbar: Ja
Giftigkeit: Keine
Lebenszyklus: Mehrjährig
Bestäubungsmethode: Insekten

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

pollinates

Honey bee

Apis mellifera

Gathers nectar and pollen

pollinates

Monarch butterfly

Danaus plexippus

Feeds on nectar from flowers

eaten by

American bison

Bison bison

Historically grazed on leaves

eaten by

White-tailed deer

Odocoileus virginianus

Browses on young leaves

Merkmale

Blühend

Blütenpflanzen sind alle Pflanzen, die als Teil ihres Fortpflanzungszyklus Blüten bilden.

Sommerblühend

Sommerblühende Pflanzen bringen ihre Blüten während der Sommersaison hervor und sorgen oft für leuchtende Farben, wenn viele andere Pflanzen bereits verblüht sind.

Bestäubermagnet

Beschreibt Pflanzen, die für eine Vielzahl von bestäubenden Organismen besonders attraktiv und nützlich sind.

Grasland

Grasland-Lebensräume sind terrestrische Biome, die von Gräsern und krautigen Pflanzen dominiert werden und einer Vielzahl von Weidetieren als Lebensraum dienen.