A native of the tallgrass prairie, Compass Plant is an extraordinary perennial that grows 6 to 12 feet tall. Between July and August it produces yellow 3 to 4-inch-tall flowers resembling sunflowers – mature plants can have up to 30 flowers. It is supported by a large central taproot that can grow 15 feet below the ground. Compass Plants prefer full sun and loamy soil and can take several years to reach maturity; once they do, they are extremely long-lived, often reaching 100 years old. Pioneers named it the Compass Plant because its long, deeply lobed leaves point in a north-south direction.