This plant grows naturally on my property a few miles northwest of Gainesville FL. It grows in utterly dry, infertile, powdery, acid (pH...Read More = 5.7) sandy soil. It is in open areas at woods edges, getting some sun daily and being in bright shade most of the time. Despite the common name, the leaves are deeply-dissected, several occurring in a basal rosette and being 14" to 18" long, with a few scattered along the 4-foot tall flowering stalk and rapidly becoming smaller as one goes up the stalk. The large and woody taproot allows it to survive in dry soil, but reportedly the taproot is not in evidence if it grows where there is ample water available. For several weeks it produces a succession of bright yellow 2" - 2 1/2" flowers typical of Asteraceae. Propagation is by seed, which probably needs 30 to 60 days of cold stratification like other Silphiums. My ID is based on herbarium specimens at http://www.florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/SpecimenDetails.aspx?P...
This plant grows naturally on my property a few miles northwest of Gainesville FL. It grows in utterly dry, infertile, powdery, acid (pH...Read More