Zizia aurea (L.) W.D.J. Koch
Golden zizia, golden Alexander
Golden alexanders are North American natives.
Plants: Up to 1–2′ (30–60 cm) in height.
Leaves: Alternate leaves are compound, and up to 8 ⨉ 5″ (20 ⨉ 12 cm) in size. Basal leaves are divided into threes; upper leaves in two. Upper leaves are up to 2½″ (7 cm) long and ⅞″ (2.5 cm) wide, with toothed edges.
Flowers: Flowerheads have the overall shape of a gently curved umbrella, divided into smaller groups. The smaller groups—umbellets—contain approximately 25 tiny yellow flowers. Each flower is less than ⅛″ (3.2 mm) across, with five petals, five sepals, and five stamens. Flowers appear from May to June.
Fruits: Oblong green fruit capsules, 1/16–⅛″ (3–4 mm) long, become purple when dry.
Habitats: Moist black soil prairies, moist to mesic woodland openings, savannas, thickets, limestone glades and bluffs, power line clearings, and abandoned fields.
Edibility: Not edible. Caution: the flowerheads of these
plants resemble those of water hemlock (Cicuta maculata), which is extremely poisonous 
. Water hemlock
flowers are white, while zizias are yellow.
 |
Similar species. |
Online References:
5/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm) 
5/7/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 14 cm) 
5/11/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 9″ (28 × 23 cm) 
5/27/2016 · Acton Arboretum, Acton, Massachusetts 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Apiales | Includes carrots, celery, parsley, and ivy |
| Family | Apiaceae | Carrot or parsley family, also includes angelica, anise, caraway, celery, chervil, cicely, coriander/cilantro, cumin, dill, fennel, hemlock, lovage, Queen Anne’s Lace, parsnip |
| Genus | Zizia | Named for German botanist Johann Baptist Ziz (1779–1829) |
| Species | aurea | Latin for “golden” |
Zizia aurea description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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