To study and conserve the genetic resources of Silphium species, researchers from The Land Institute and the University of Minnesota are requesting help from the public.

You can help us in thee ways:

1. Collect seeds and send them to us (see below).

2. Tell us where we might be able to find Silphium plants (e.g., give us permission to collect seeds on your property or tell us where to find populations on roadsides or in parks). If possible, take a photo of the population with a smartphone and email it to me. I can get the GPS coordinates from your photo.

3. Spread the word (and the link to this page) to other members of the native plant community.

Special Priorities for 2016: Original, native populations (i.e., NOT restored prairies or ornamental plantings, if possible)

Silphium integrifolium (wholeleaf rosinweed)

Silphium terebinthinaceum (prairie dock)

Populations from the southern United States, including Texas and Oklahoma. Note: we are hoping to collect from anywhere in North America. It is just that we have fewer direct contacts or knowledge about remnant prairies in the southern part of the range.

Thank you very much! Let me know if you have questions about participating in this exciting project.

David

David Van Tassel, Ph.D

The Land Institute

vantassel@landinstitute.org

Instructions for seed collectors

1. Locate a population of silphium plants, or a single isolated silphium plant. If there are many plants in this area (e.g., within 2 square miles) please do not collect more than 30 individual plants. There is no minimum!

2. Prepare an envelope or small bag. A coin envelope or ziploc bag will work (please make a few pinpricks in a ziplock bag to help the seeds dry.

Write your name on each bag using a black Sharpie or something similar

on each bag using a black Sharpie or something similar

Add a number; one plant= one (unique) number.

3. Hold the envelope close to the first Silphium plant and take a photo with your smart phone. This will capture the time and GPS coordinates of the harvest. We need to be able to see the number on the envelope, so please be sure that it is readable in your photo.

Be certain that GPS tagging has been enabled for your phone. The default for Android phones is NOT enabled.



If you do not have a GPS enabled smartphone, please write a description of the location on the first seed envelope for each location. The description should include the nearest road, the distance from the nearest town or crossroad, the county, the state, and any other comments that would help someone find the spot.

4. Pick three ripe heads from this plant. Place heads in the envelope

5. Repeat steps 2-4 for the next plant

6. Drive a few miles and look for another population

7. Send it in!

E-mail the photos to vantassel@landinstitute.org

the photos to vantassel@landinstitute.org Mail the seeds to:

Wild Silphium Project

The Land Institute

2440 E Water Well Rd

Salina, KS 67401

USA

What does a ripe silphium head look like?

All heads here can be harvested. The center head will begin shattering soon, but this stage is perfect because it is easy to see that there are plenty of good seeds Heads may also be harvested earlier in the season. The heads labeled “M” likely contain mature seeds. In a pinch, it would be worth harvesting the borderline heads (“B”). All of the other heads shown in this figure are too immature to harvest.

What does a Silphium integrifolium population look like?

Silphium in a Kansas prairie. Note that there are stands at the base of the hill and on the mid slope. Plants may also be found at the tops of hills, but this is less common and the plants are likely to produce fewer heads.

Silphium (yellow flowers) in an old field among shrubs and young trees

How do I identify a single Silphium integrifolium plant?