Description
Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea), also known as Golden Zizia, is a bright early-season native wildflower in the carrot family (Apiaceae). It produces flat clusters of small yellow flowers in late spring to early summer, bringing color and nectar to your landscape before many summer-blooming plants begin flowering.
Golden Alexanders grows in full sun to partial shade and prefers moist, well-drained soils. It adapts well to clay and is commonly found in prairies, meadows, and woodland edges. Although each plant is short-lived, it self-seeds and returns year after year in suitable conditions.
This valuable pollinator plant serves as a host for Black Swallowtail and Ozark Swallowtail butterflies. Its flowers also provide nectar for a lot of short-tongued pollinators, making it an excellent early-season food source for insects.
Another closely related species is Heart-leaf Golden Alexanders (Zizia aptera), which has distinctive heart-shaped basal leaves and prefers drier conditions. Golden Alexanders pairs well with Blue Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis), Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), and Fox Sedge (Carex vulpinoidea) in native plantings.
Golden Alexanders should not be confused with Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa), an invasive lookalike that blooms later and can cause skin irritation.
