Zizia aurea

Golden Alexander

True to both its common and scientific names, Golden Alexander, Zizia aurea is a native perennial in the carrot family that is a larval host for swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. Beautiful, upright umbels of small yellow flowers appear from April to June over compound foliage, and are a wonderful nectar source for springtime pollinators. Golden Alexander’s specific epithet, “aurea”, literally means “golden”, in reference to the abundant blooms that make for quite a show both in the garden as well as in fresh cut flower arrangements. Easily adaptable to various soil and light conditions, Zizia aurea is a fast grower that will happily spread by both seed and rhizomatous growth, occasionally forming dense colonies in ideal locations. Zizia aurea is the recipient of the North Carolina Botanical Garden’s NC Wildflower of the Year Award in 2012 for its outstanding performance in the landscape.