Silphium (genus)

This article is about the plant genus. For the extinct ancient plant, see Silphium.

Silphium is a genus of North American plants in the tribe Heliantheae within the family Asteraceae.^[1][2]

Silphium
Silphium integrifolium
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Subfamily:	Asteroideae
Tribe:	Heliantheae
Subtribe:	Engelmanniinae
Genus:	Silphium L.
Type species
Silphium asteriscus L.

Members of the genus, commonly known as rosinweeds, are herbaceous perennial plants growing to 0.2 m (8 in) to more than 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) tall, with yellow (rarely white) flowerheads that resemble sunflowers. In the rosinweeds, the ray florets in the head are female and the disc florets are male;^[3] this differs from sunflowers, where ray florets are sterile and disc florets are perfect, capable of producing both pollen and seeds.^[4]

The name of the genus comes from the Ancient Greek word for a North African plant whose identity has been lost, though it is known its gum or juice was prized by the ancients as a medicine and a condiment.^[3]

Species

Species in the genus include:^{[5][3][6][7][8][9]}

• Silphium albiflorum A.Gray – white rosinweed – TX
• Silphium asteriscus L. – starry rosinweed – TX OK LA AR MO IL IN KY TN AL MS GA FL SC NC VA WV OH MD PA NY
• Silphium brachiatum Gatt. – Cumberland rosinweed – TN AL GA
• Silphium compositum Michx. – kidneyleaf rosinweed – TN AL GA FL SC NC VA WV
• Silphium glutinosum J.R. Allison AL
• Silphium integrifolium Michx. – wholeleaf rosinweed – NM TX LA OK AR MO KS CO WY SD NE IA IL IN KY TN MS AL WI MI MA ONT
• Silphium laciniatum L. – compassplant – NM TX LA OK AR MO KS CO SD NE MN IA IL IN KY TN MS AL WI MI VA PA NY ONT
• Silphium laeve Hook.
• Silphium mohrii Small – Mohr's rosinweed – TN AL GA
• Silphium perfoliatum L. – cup plant – NM TX LA OK AR MO KS CO SD ND NE MN IA IL INKY TN MS AL WI MI NC VA DE PA NY NJ CT RI MA VT NH ME ONT QUE NB
• Silphium perplexum J.R.Allison – Old Cahaba rosinweed – AL
• Silphium pinnatifidum Elliott – Cutleaf prairie dock – AL GA KY TN
• Silphium radula Nutt. – roughstem rosinweed – KS MO AR OK TX LA
• Silphium terebinthinaceum Jacq. – prairie rosinweed, prairie dock – IA MO AR MS AL GA SC NC VA WV TN KY OH IN IL WI MI NY ONT
• Silphium ternatum Sessé & Moc. – Mexico
• Silphium trifoliatum L. – whorled rosinweed – AL GA IN KY MD NC SC OH PA VA WV
• Silphium wasiotense M.Medley – Appalachian rosinweed – KY TN

• 
  Silphium integrifolium (rosinweed) flowers
• 
  Silphium laciniatum (compass plant) leaves
• 
  Silphium perfoliatum (cup plant) flowers in Lower Saxony, Germany
• 
  Silphium terebinthinaceum (prairie dock) leaves

Formerly included

Numerous species are now regarded as members of the genera Berlandiera and Verbesina.^[5]

See also

• Genus Calycadenia – the western rosinweeds