Golden Alexander: How to Care for Zizia Aurea

Golden Alexander: How to Care for Zizia Aurea

Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) is a native North American perennial wildflower known for its yellow, firework-like blooms that bloom in mid-spring—and, more importantly, for being the host plant for the black swallowtail butterfly.
Golden Alexander, Zizia aurea
Photograph by Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, via Flickr.
The plant has a long bloom time, about a month.
Golden Alexander is part of the carrot family and looks very much like wild parsnip, which contains sap that is phototoxic (skin contact with the sap, followed by exposure to sunlight, can cause a rash).
Photograph by Joshua Mayer, via Flickr.
Three ways to tell the difference between the golden Alexander and wild parsnip are size, leaf shape, and bloom time.
Cheat Sheet
Photograph courtesy of Kelly D. Norris, from Ask the Expert: Horticulturist Kelly D. Norris on the ‘New Naturalism’.
Golden Alexander (lower left) fits right in in this meadow-style front yard garden in Iowa.
Photograph by Scott Zona, via Flickr.
Keep It Alive
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