Zizia aptera (A. Gray) Fernald var. occidentalis Fernald
Zizia cordata W.D.J. Koch ex DC.
Zizia aptera (A. Gray) Fernald Heart-leaved golden alexander, meadow zizia, heart-leaved golden alexanders
Heart-leaved golden alexanders are North American natives. Identification: Plants reach 12-30" (30-76 cm) in height. Lower leaves are divided into threes; upper leaves in two. Leaves are up to 4" (10 cm) long and 3" (7.6 cm) wide, heart-shaped, with finely toothed edges. Flowerheads have the overall shape of a gently curved umbrella about 2-3" (5-7.6 cm) across, divided into smaller groups (parasols?). The smaller groups approximately 25 tiny yellow flowers, each less than ⅛" (3.2 mm) across, each with five petals. The dried seedheads become purple. Here are two golden alexanders: |
6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts 5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
You are here Zizia aptera |
Zizia aurea |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Common Name | ![]() |
![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Plant | 12-30" (30-76 cm) high. | 18-36" (45-91 cm) high. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Flowers | Umbrella-shaped cluster about 2-3" (5-7.6 cm) across, split into smaller groups of tiny yellow flowers, about 25 per group. | Umbrella-shaped cluster about 2" (5 cm) across, split into smaller groups of tiny yellow flowers, about 25 per group. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Leaves | Lower leaves are heart-shaped. Up to 4" (10 cm) long × 3" (7.6 cm) wide. | Lower leaves divided into threes, upper leaves in two. Up to 2½" (6.3 cm) long × 2½" (6.3 cm) wide. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Range/ Zones |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Habitats | Black soil prairies, hillside prairies, rocky upland woodlands, limestone glades, bluffs, abandoned fields, and roadsides | Prairies, glades, open woods, fields, thickets | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Type | Wild | Wild |
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.
Online References:
The Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site
The New England Wild Flower Society (PDF)
5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm)
Zizia aptera (A. Gray) Fernald var. occidentalis Fernald
Zizia cordata W.D.J. Koch ex DC.
Zizia aptera description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 16 Sep 2020.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.
6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 6 × 10" (16 × 24 cm)
Range: Zones 3-8: