Zizea aurea is a flowering member of the parsley family Apiaceae, commonly traded as Golden Alexanders. Its principal display occurs from May to July. The common name signals the warm, golden appearance associated with the flowers. It sits in the genus Zizia and is used to provide a late-spring to midsummer floral presence.

Golden Alexanders (Zizea aurea) flowers from May to July, providing a concentrated late-spring to early-summer display in the garden.

Zizea aurea

Golden Alexanders (Zizea aurea) | Meadow Apiaceae

Zizia aurea (golden alexanders, golden zizia) is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant of the carrot family Apiaceae. It is native to eastern Canada and the United States, from the eastern Great Plains to the Atlantic Coast. The genus is named for Johann Baptist Ziz, a German botanist. The common name is based on the similarity to alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum), another member of the carrot family from coastal areas in Europe and Northern Africa. It grows to around 0.5-1 metres tall and 0.1-0.5 metres wide, carrying deciduous foliage. Grow it in full sun and partial shade and most soil types. It tolerates soil of any pH, moist but well-drained conditions and east-facing, south-facing and west-facing aspects.