Julius Caesar kept a cache of it in the government treasury and the Greeks even put it on their money. It was worth its weight in gold – but no one knows if it still exists. Long ago, in the ancient ...

Perfume, tonic – even love potion – silphium was prized by the ancient Romans, but in its success lay the seeds of its own downfall Of all the mysteries of ancient Rome, silphium is among the most ...

Wood is the primary source of raw material for paper production—whether as fresh fiber or recycled material. The silphium plant, a perennial energy crop, is now also being used as an alternative fiber ...

Roman leader Julius Caesar is said to have kept a stock of it in the treasury. Ancient writer Pliny the Elder says Rome's Emperor Nero owned the last stalk of it. And some have suggested rampant ...

Silphium is a herb that may have not looked the most pretty or striking, but in the ancient city of Cyrene, the plant soon became as valuable as gold. It is described as having short leaves, tiny ...

I don't have a favorite wildflower. But if I did, it might be Silphium laciniatum. Commonly called 'compass plant,” the larger species of the genera symbolize the maturation of summer to me. And while ...

Silphium is in early breeding stages to be a low-input, alternative forage crop The Southwestern Colorado Research Center in Yellow Jacket recently planted an acre of a promising perennial crop called ...