The Plant Store is now closed for 2023 and will re-open for sales in May of 2024

  • Please see the Using the Plant Library  page  for some tips on how to make the most of the information here to select species for creating a healthy native plant community suited to the conditions of your site.

Silphium laciniatum, Compass Plant

Silphium laciniatum

Compass Plant

  • Full sun
  • Average to high moisture soils
  • 5’ to 8’ tall, 3’ to 4’ wide
  • Summer to early fall bloom
  • Ontario Native, Good for meadow or garden settings. Very long lived 

New to me this year, grown from seeds from Prairie Moon Nursery https://www.prairiemoon.com/silphium-laciniatum-compass-plant-prairie-moon-nursery.html  

Slightly shorter than their close cousins, Prairie Dock, these are still very large herbaceous plants. Their common name comes from a tendency for their leaves to be oriented on a north-south axis along the upright blooming stems. Given their stature and the fact that they are known to live upwards of 100 years, carefully consideration is recommended when selecting a location for one of these.

Please check out the Prairie Moon listing at the link above for more details.

Photos by Krzysztof Ziarnek and Krzysztof Ziarnek via Wikimedia Commons


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Species that were not sown / aren't being sown for 2023 are marked with an * 
Species that are native to this continent, but not historically native to Ontario are marked with a ~ 
While it rarely comes up, I do reserve the right to limit plant quantities, mostly to help ensure that as many native plant gardens as possible become a reality
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