Prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum) is a distinctive native of the tallgrass prairie featuring leafless stems up to 10 feet tall topped by panicles of bright yellow, 3-inch-wide flowers. The leaves—some quite large—form a rosette not more than a couple of feet high that are cordate (heart shaped) and very rough.

Prairie dock is not fussy as to soils or soil moisture content and flowers best in full sun. The taproot can grow as deep as 12 feet and older plants will form offsets a foot or more away from the mother plant. Bees and hummingbirds are frequent pollinators, and goldfinches adore the seeds.