SILPHIUM FLAGS

Silphium Flags was a temporary outdoor installation commissioned by The Land Institute for the 2026 Prairie Festival in Salina, Kansas. The Land Institute leads a global movement to transform agriculture and secure a sustainable future developing perennial crops and systems that work with nature to feed humanity and repair our environment.

These flags celebrate Silphium integrifolium and three sister silphium species found on the tallgrass prairie. With characteristics that make them excellent candidates for a perennial oil seed crop called Silflower, these tall, deep-rooted, long-lived, big-leaved, and yellow-flowered species are beacons on the summer tallgrass prairie horizon. The photographs were made using the visual language of science: clarity, a high level of detail, neutral background, and scale references using human hands that represent the collaboration of people and Silphium in plant breeding for Silflower.