Weasel
Well-Known Member
![EDCA98B3-963F-42E7-A8D7-4908D258C1EC.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv85%2Fhalbleib%2FDouble%2520A%2520Farm%2F2016%2FEDCA98B3-963F-42E7-A8D7-4908D258C1EC.jpg&hash=c51b9fbcd6033104ad51e175dcf185fb)
I stopped at Ernst Seed to get another bushel of winter rye and five pounds each of ladino & medium red clover. They always have different, interesting native stands growing around the parking lot. I saw these and was instantly intrigued.
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I'm 6'1" and these were well over my head. The large leaves on the stalks were interesting too.
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My immediate thought was they were an annual and wouldn't amount to much in the winter. I asked the girl in the office what they were and she said Cup Plant. To my surprise they are a perennial! And can grow to 11 feet!
From Ernst's catalog:
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
A robust, long-lived, flowering species with a thick stem; large leaves surround the stem. Blooms from July to September. Grows to 11' tall. May be used as forage for domestic animals with multiple cuts; best established by planting in the fall as a dormant seeding, with germination occurring in the spring; high potential as a bioenergy crop; provides food for birds and wildlife; attracts native pollinators.
http://www.ernstseed.com/seed-mix/species/?catalog-id=3676
Forage, screening, attracts pollinators, native & perennial. Very, very interesting. It is a bit expensive but I might have to give it a try.