Botanical atlas

Golden Alexanders

Zizia aurea

Golden Alexanders lights up damp meadows and woodland edges each spring with its clusters of small, sunny yellow flowers, often among the first native umbellifers to bloom after winter. Some Native American communities are recorded to have made use of related Apiaceae plants in their traditional practices, but detailed, reliable historical accounts specific to Zizia aurea are thin compared to better documented herbs, so its story is told mostly through the eyes of naturalists and gardeners. What is well established is its quiet ecological importance, as an early nectar source for native bees and the preferred host plant for black swallowtail caterpillars. Its common name comes from early settlers, who thought its foliage resembled the Old World plant called Alexanders and gave it the same name with a golden twist.

Safety.

Golden Alexanders is a carrot family plant that closely resembles deadly lookalikes like poison hemlock and water hemlock, so it should never be eaten or used as a remedy without expert identification. Enjoy it in the garden rather than the kitchen.