Silphium laeve
Hook.
Asteraceae
This taxon is not mentioned in the Flora of N. America[
270- Title
- Flora of N. America
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
].
It was first described by W.J. Hooker in the London Journal of Botany 6: 244. 1847. The name, however, is clearly wrong since the plant was obtained from the Colorado Valley in western N. America and the genus Silphium is only found in eastern and central N. America. We can find no trace in the literature of this taxon being referred to another genus (the most likely is that it is referable to a species of Balsamorhiza) and, indeed, as of 2019 this taxon is still accepted as a species in The Plant List (http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/gcc-50753) and in the Global Compositae Checklist (https://compositae.landcareresearch.co.nz/?Page=NameDetails&NameId=E70E2474-CA8B-4D48-8E15-5E1EED3E4E9C)
Balsamorhiza silphioides Geyer ex Hook.
Common Name:
General Information
Silphium laeve is a herbaceous perennial plant.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
Range
Western N. America - Washington.
Habitat
Not known
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Perennial |
| Height | 0.00 m |
| Pollinators | Insects |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
We have very little information on this species - see the notes above on taxonomy.
Species in the genus Silphium succeed in any ordinary garden soil[
1- Title
- RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
- Publication
-
- Author
- F. Chittendon.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1951
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
], preferring a deep moisture retentive moderately fertile soil that is not too nitrogen rich, in sun or dappled shade[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Plants have a deep and extensive root system which makes transplanting difficult[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Edible Uses
Root[
2- Title
- Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hedrick. U. P.
- Publisher
- Dover Publications
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- 0-486-20459-6
- Description
- Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
,
4- Title
- A Modern Herbal.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Grieve.
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0-14-046-440-9
- Description
- Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
,
105- Title
- Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Tanaka. T. & Nakao S.
- Publisher
- Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo
- Year
- 1976
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
]. No more details are given in the reports.
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a greenhouse[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring[
188- Title
- The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers
- Publication
-
- Author
- Brickell. C.
- Publisher
- Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd.
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-86318-386-7
- Description
- Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
]. This is very difficult due to the deep and extensive root system.
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
