Zizia aptera (Heart-leaved golden alexander)

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Zizia aptera (A. Gray) Fernald

Heart-leaved golden alexander, meadow zizia, heart-leaved golden alexanders

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
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	aptera	Means “without wings”

About plant names...

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
≈ 6 × 10" (16 × 24 cm)

5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 6 × 4" (15 × 10 cm)

	You are here Zizia aptera	*Zizia aurea*
Common Name	heart-leaved golden alexander	golden zizia
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	USDA Zones: 3-8	USDA Zones: 3-8
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 Skull & Crossbones . Water hemlock flowers are white, while zizias are yellow.

Online References:

The Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

Illinois Wildflowers

The Missouri Botanical Garden

Minnesota Wildflowers

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.

6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 6 × 10" (16 × 24 cm)

Range: Zones 3-8:

About this map...