Cup plant

This is cup plant, Silphium perfoliatum. The leaves surrounding the stem merge to form a cup that holds rainwater. This is alongside the trail that passes by Williamsport Pond in West Lafayette. Picture taken July 15, 2009.

Link to Silphium perfoliatum:

Here is a link to a view of this same spot in April:

This is a closer look at the same cup plant in the first picture. Picture taken July 15, 2009. Notice the water collected at the base of the leaves.

Link to cup plant:

This is another cup plant along the trail at Williamsport Pond. A remarkable number of bees and other insects are buzzing around these flowers. Picture taken July 15, 2009.

Link to Silphium perfoliatum:


This cup plant is in a vacant lot near Teal Road in Lafayette. Due to the local mania for mowing it might not survive long enough to show its flowers. If it doesn't get mowed down it will be one of the first true prairie plants to recolonize the land. This picture was taken July 12, 2009.

The small pink flowers on the left are crown vetch (Securigera varia) and the white flowers at the top are Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota).