Indian Cup (Silphium perfoliatum)

Indian cup also known as Cup plant, is native to eastern and central North America. It likes to live in mesic to moist soils and can be found anywhere from open woodlands to prairies. Indian cup usually is found in higher quality habitats or in restoration efforts such as the one pictured above. Indian cup can support moister soils than any of the other silphiums. Indian cup has the characteristic perfoliate (joined opposite) massive leaves and can only be confused with prairie dock, which only has a rosette of large leaves.