Compass Plant

Silphium laciniatum

Compass Plant image

Compass plant is a native plant reaching a height of 5 to 9 feet. The plant blooms from July to September with a yellow bloom that attracts butterflies. As the name suggests, leaves usually orient themselves on a north-south axis to minimize intense overhead sun exposure. Native Americans used the gummy, fragrant-but-bitter resin oozed by broken stems as a mouth-cleansing chewing gum.