Compassplant
Scientific Name: Silphium laciniatum L.
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Usda Symbol | SILA3 |
| Group | Dicot |
| Life Cycle | Perennial |
| Growth Habits | Forb/herb |
| Native Locations | SILA3 |
Plant Guide
Uses
Livestock: It is reported that compass plant is palatable and nutritious and grazed by livestock especially in a juvenile state. It will decrease in heavily grazed pastures and eventually disappear from the site (Haddock, 2005). Eddy (1992) found it along roadsides in the Kansas Flint Hills, but rarely found it in pastures. Native American uses: The pounded root of compass plant was used by the Pawnees to make a tea for “general debility”. This tea was also used by the Santee Dakotas to rid horses of worms and by the Omahas and Poncas as a horse tonic (Kindscher, 1992). The Indian children of several tribes used the resinous sap as a chewing gum to cleanse their teeth and sweeten their breath. Preparations from compass plant were used by nineteenth century doctors as an antipyretic, diuretic, emetic, expectorant, tonic, styptic, antispasmodic, and stimulant and for their diaphoretic properties (Kindscher, 1992). Wildlife: Birds and small mammals eat the seeds (Art, 1991). In grasslands, devoid of woody species, the compass plant provides a sturdy perch for prairie songbirds. Eastern kingbirds use the compass plant as a perch to locate and capture grassland insects (Platt and Harder, 1991).
Status
Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).
Description
General: Compass plant is a long lived perennial member of the sunflower or composite family (Asteraceae). The basal leaves and stems all arise from an underground crown. A large reddish brown tap root 2.54 to 5.08 centimeters (cm) is located just below the crown, but rapidly looses diameter as it descends into the soil (Weaver, 1954). The tap root extends from 3 to 4 meters (m) deep into the soil with a few branching roots extending out into a column of soil from 2 to 3 m in diameter. Basal leaves of younger plants are large (.6 m) deeply cut, angularly lobed, clasping, hairy, and are oriented vertically instead of horizontally. The leaf blades tend to point north and south, thereby avoiding the heat of the noonday sun and earning the plant its common name (Art, 1991). Stems are erect and number from one to several with total height between 1 and 3.5 m. Simple leaves have an alternate arrangement on the stem and are large and deeply lobed at the stem base and less divided, smaller leaves exhibit sessile attachment higher up on the stem. Leaves are leathery and stiff with rough surfaces and hairs located on the main veins. Large yellow flower heads (5 to 10 cm) are borne along the upper half to two thirds of the stem in small clusters, on short stalks, from the axils of the reduced leaves or the stem apex. Flower blooming begins in late June and proceeds through August. The flower heads begin to open at the top of the stem. There are 15 to 34 narrow yellow “petals” (ray florets), 2.5 to 5.0 cm long, and numerous disk florets with yellow corollas in the center of the flower (Platt and Harder, 1991). The fruits are achenes, flattened, about 1.3 cm long with notched tips. The achenes only develop on the outside of the head since only the ray florets have fertile pistils and produce seed units (Platt and Harder, 1991). Distribution: For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site. Compass plant grows in the eastern half of Kansas. It is found in the eastern section of the Great Plains from North Dakota to Texas and eastward to Ohio and Alabama. Habitat: Compass plant grows in full sun in tallgrass and mixed grass prairies and in moderately disturbed areas such as roadsides. It is found on a variety of soil types from clay loams to silt loams, but thrives where there is moist, deep subsoil present. It can tolerate a wide pH range. Weaver and Fitzpatrick (1934) found it in 66 percent of the lowland prairies and 45 percent of the upland prairies they studied.
Adaptation
Found on open prairies and roadsides, especially in areas with mild soil disturbance (Kindscher, 1992). Full sun is the major requirement of this easily cultivated, hardy species (Art, 1991). It is found on a variety of soil types, but it needs a moist, deep subsoil to thrive.
Establishment
The easiest way to propagate compass plant is by planting stratified seed in the spring or unstratified seed in the fall, Moist stratification (60 days at 40 degrees F) and scarification will enhance germination (Art, 1991), To scarify the seed, nick the seed coat with a sharp knife prior to planting, The first year the seedlings have only a single leaf, and it will take 2 to 3 years for the plant to mature and produce flowers, Much of the plants energy and carbon are invested in extensive root production the first years of life, Pleasants and Jurik’s (1992) study of plant seedling recruitment of compass plant indicated that the plants with the larger number of seedheads had a significantly higher density of seedlings around them, Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Compassplant., Estimates of seed production of individual compass plants indicated that about 1 percent of the seed became seedlings each year (Pleasants and Jurik, 1992),
Management
Seedling plants have only a single leaf their first year of growth. Kindscher (1992) indicated that the compass plant will flower in two to three years. Platt and Harder (1991) stated that in their experience compass plants did not bloom until the fourth or fifth growing season. Should compass plant be grown as a specimen plant it may need to be staked to keep the stalks from blowing over.
Pests and Potential Problems
A recent study has revealed that insect natural enemies can influence reproductive success of host plants by eliminating natural herbivores, thereby reducing damage to photosynthetic or reproductive plant tissues (Tooker and Hanks, 2006). Price et al. (1980) proposed that natural enemies can indirectly influence plant fitness by killing herbivorous insects. Tooker and Hanks (2006) presented field evidence that parasitoids of an endemic community enhance plant reproduction by killing larvae of gall wasps and that plants produced volatile cues that parasitoids use in locating hosts. Kindscher (1992) indicated that mature cultivated compass plants often become large and top heavy and have a tendency to fall over. Silphium laciniatum is a new horticultural plant in Poland grown for medicinal, ornamental and forage crop purposes. A disease was noticed on 15 percent of the plants causing stunting, yellowing of leaves, and reduced inflorescence production. Oblong brown-purplish lesions developed on the stems during the month of July. Alternaria alternata was isolated from the affected stems, cultured on artificial media grown in the lab, and finally inoculated on compass plant seedlings to recreate the disease symptoms (Wagner and Jamiolkowska, 2004).
Environmental Concerns
Concerns
Concerns
Compass plant does not spread vegetatively except as the clump of the original plant grows in diameter. The basal clump of leaves of a mature plant may grow to 1 to 1.75 m in diameter and tend to shade out plants within the basal leaves. This species volunteers easily from seed (Platt and Harder, 1991).
Seeds and Plant Production
Plant Production
Plant Production
Seed Production: Seed can be harvested from nursery stock in late August or September. The plants flower from about June 27 to August 20th . After drying, the seed units can be run through a hammer mill to break up the seed head and release the achenes. Then seed units can be run over a two screen Clipper cleaner with a top screen of 25 and a lower screen of 9 to 13. The seed can then be finally cleaned to a purity of 48 percent with approximately 46,600 seeds per kilogram (k). Other methods of seed processing can be utilized to improve final purity of the harvested seed. Bareroot Plant Production: Field collected seed is planted in the fall without being subjected to cold storage. Seed can be sown in raised propagation bed that preferentially consists of sandy loam soil. Total time from planting to plant harvest can take from 12 months for fall dug propagules to 18 months if plants are harvested in the spring. Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) Contact your local Natural Resources
Conservation
Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone book under ”United States Government.” The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading “Department of Agriculture.” Two compass plant germplasm lines, NF-1 (Reg. no. GP-114, PI 628632) and NF-1 Profuse Ligule (Reg. no. GP-115, PI 628633) were developed by the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc., and released January 7, 2002. NF-1 is a broad based population intended to provide breeders and other researchers with germplasm adapted to the southern Great Plains (Hopkins et al., 2002). NF-1 Profuse Ligule is a half-sib family derived from a single plant expressing the profuse ligule trait. Chromosome number of NF-1 and NF-1 Profuse Ligule is 2n=2x=15. The germplasm lines should be useful in developing improved cultivars, novel germplasm, as well as studying the biology, genetics, and ecology of compass plant. Seed stocks of NF-1 and NF-1 Profuse Ligule will be maintained by the Forage Biotechnology Group at The Noble Foundation, Ardmore, OK 73401.
References
Art, H.W. 1991. The Wildflower Gardener’s Guide; Midwest, Great Plains, and Canadian Prairies Edition. Storey Communications, Inc. Pownal, VT. Eddy, T.A. 1992. The role of prairie road borders as refugia for herbaceous plants in the central Flint Hills grazing region of Kansas. In: Smith and Jacobs (eds.) Proceedings of the Twelfth North American Prairie Conference. University of Northern Iowa. Cedar Falls, IA. Haddock, M.J. 2005. Wildflowers and Grasses of Kansas. University Press of Kansas. Lawrence, KS. Hopkins, A.A., L. Yun, and D.W. Walker. 2002. Registration of NF-1, and NF-1 Profuse Ligule, Compass Plant Germplasm. Crop Science. 42: 2219- 2220. Kindscher, K. 1992. Medicinal Wild Plants of the Prairie. University Press of Kansas. Lawrence, KS. Pleasants, J.M. and T. W. Jurik. 1992. Dispersion of seedlings of the prairie compass plant, Silphium laciniatum (Asteraceae). American Journal of Botany. 79 (2): 133-137. Platt, D.R. and L.H. Harder. 1991. Growing Native Wildflowers. Kansas Wildflower Society Handbook. Kauffman Museum, Bethel College. Newton, KS. Price, P.W., C.E. Bouton, P. Gross, B.A. McPheron, J.N. Thompson, and A.E. Weiss. 1980. Interactions among three trophic levels: influence of plants on interactions between insect herbivores and natural enemies. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 11: 41-65. Tooker, J.F. and L.M. Hanks. 2006. Tritrophic Interactions and Reproductive Fitness of the Prairie Perennial Silphium laciniatum Gillette (Asteraceae). Environmental Entomology. 35 (2): 537-545. Wagner, A. and A. Jamiolkowska. 2004. First Report of Alternaria alternata Causing Stem Bight of Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum) in Poland. Plant Disease. 88(9): 1045. Weaver, J.E. 1954. North American Prairie. Johnsen Publishing Co. Lincoln, NE. Weaver, J.E. and T.J. Fitzpatrick. 1934. The Prairie. Ecological Monographs. Volume 4. Duke University Press. Durham, NC.
Fact Sheet
Alternate Names
Rosinweed, gum weed, cut-leaf silphium, or turpentine plant
Uses
Livestock: It is reported that compass plant is palatable and nutritious and grazed by livestock especially in its juvenile state. It will decrease in heavily grazed pastures and eventually be removed from the site in continuously grazed situations. Native Americans: The powdered root of compass plant was used by the Pawnees to make a tea for individuals with general debility. The Indian children of several tribes used the resinous sap as a chewing gum to cleanse their teeth and sweeten their breath. Wildlife: Small mammals and birds eat the seed of compass plant. In grasslands the compass plant provides a sturdy perch for prairie song birds. The eastern kingbirds use the compass plant as a perch to locate and capture grassland insects.
Status
Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).
Description and Adaptation
Adaptation
Adaptation
General: Compass plant is a long lived, perennial member of the sunflower family. Its basal leaves and stems all arise from an underground crown. A large reddish brown tap root 1 to 2 inches in diameter is located just below the crown. The tap root rapidly looses diameter as it descends up to 16 feet into the prairie soil. The large basal leaves can be 15 to 24 inches long and are deeply cut like a giant pin oak leaf. The rigid, sand paper like leaves orient themselves in a north to south direction to avoid the direct rays of the midday sun, thus leading to the plants common name, compass plant. Stems are erect and number from one to several with an overall height of from 3 to 10 feet. The simple leaves are alternately arranged on the stem and are less divided, smaller and have direct attachment higher up on the stem. Leaves are leathery and stiff with rough surfaces and hairs occurring on the leaf main veins. Large yellow flower heads from 2 to 4 inches across are conspicuous on the upper half to two thirds of the stem in small clusters. Flowering begins in late June and proceeds through August. Flower heads begin opening at the top of the stem first. There are 15 to 34 narrow yellow petal flowers (ray florets) that are 1 to 2 inches long. The center of the flower contains the numerous disk florets with yellow corollas. The fruit is a flattened achene about ½ inch long with a notched tip. Achenes develop on the outside of the head since the ray florets are the only fertile seed producing units on the flower. Distribution: Please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site. Compass plant grows in the eastern half of Kansas. It is found in the eastern section of the Great Plains from North Dakota to Texas and east to Ohio and Alabama.
Establishment
The easiest way to propagate compass plant is by planting stratified seed in the spring or unstratified seed in the fall. Moist stratification (60 days at 40 degrees F) and scarification will promote germination of this species. To scarify the seed, nick the seed coat with a sharp knife prior to planting. The initial year the seedling will exist as a single leaf, and it will normally take two to three years for the plant to mature and reproduce sexually. Much of the plants energy and carbon are invested in extensive root production the first few years.
Management
Seed heads can be harvested from production fields in late August or September. The seed heads can be run through a hammer mill to break out the seed units and release the achenes. Then the achenes can be run through a two screen cleaner to increase purity of the product. The seed can be cleaned to a purity of 48 percent with approximately 18,400 seeds per pound. Seed lots cleaned at the Manhattan PMC have had purities as great as 96 % and a germination of 88 %. Compass plant seedlings have only a single leaf their first year of growth. Speculation has it that compass plant will not produce flowers until the second or third year of growth. Other plant enthusiasts indicate that perhaps compass plant needs four or five years to produce flowers and seed. Should compass plant be grown as a specimen plant it may need to be staked up to prevent its stems from being blown over by the wind.
Pests and Potential Problems
A disease was noted and studied on compass plant grown in Poland as a horticultural crop, The disease symptoms were noticed on approximately 15 percent of the population of plants, The plants exhibited stunting, yellowing and reduced inflorescence production, Oblong brown-purplish lesions were noticed on the plants stems in July, The causal agent isolated from the lesions was Alternaria alternata which was subsequently grown on artificial media and used to re-infect compass plant seedlings, Compass plant, grown in a cultivated situation, has also been known to have stems blown down when subjected to strong winds at full maturity, Use soil moisture sensors to measure the soil moisture of Compassplant.,
Environmental Concerns
Compass plant does not spread vegetatively except as the clump of the original plant grows in diameter. This plant volunteers easily from seed, but does not spread actively. Cultivars, Improved, and Selected Materials (and area of origin) Two compass plant germplasm lines, NF-1 and NF-1 Profuse Ligule, were developed by the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Inc. in Ardmore, OK. These germplasm lines should be useful in developing improved cultivars, novel germplasm, as well as studying the biology, ecology, and genetics of the compass plant. Seed stocks of the two lines will be maintained by the Biotechnology Group at the Noble Foundation. Prepared By and Species Coordinator: Richard Wynia, USDA NRCS Manhattan Plant Materials Center, Manhattan, KS