May 2025 - Native Plant Of The Month - Zizia aurea

Native Plant of the Month: Zizia aurea (Golden Alexanders)
Uplifting Pollinators, One Umbel at a Time

Botanical Characteristics

• Scientific name: Zizia aurea

• Common name: Golden Alexanders

• Plant family: Apiaceae (Carrot/Parsley family)

• Zone: Hardy in USDA Zones 3–8

• Height: 1.5 to 3 feet tall

• Bloom time: May to June

• Flower color: Bright yellow, in flat-topped umbels

• Foliage: Ternately compound, bright green leaves

• Growth habit: Clump-forming and upright 

• Location: Part shade to full sun
  
  

Zizia aurea is a valuable native perennial that supports biodiversity by providing early-season nectar for a wide range of pollinators, especially native bees and butterflies. Its small yellow flowers are a magnet for species like sweat bees and small carpenter bees, and it serves as a larval host plant for the Black Swallowtail butterfly, whose caterpillars feed on its foliage.

Zizia aurea thrives in full sun to part shade and grows well in moist to mesic soils, including clay and typical garden soils. Native to a wide range of eastern and central North America—including Illinois and the Great Lakes region—it is commonly found in prairies, woodland edges, savannas, and open meadows, making it a versatile choice for native and pollinator-friendly gardens. Humboldt Park here in Chicago supports a few large swaths of zizia to enjoy if you’re out on a nature walk or birding during the peak migration season! (Photo Credit: Jenn Lassa - taken in Humboldt Park) 

Zizia aurea, commonly known as Golden Alexanders, is a native perennial named in honor of German botanist Johann Baptist Ziz, with aurea referring to its golden-yellow blooms. As a member of the carrot family (Apiaceae), its flowers resemble Queen Anne’s Lace, but unlike some of its edible relatives like parsley, Zizia aurea is not edible and should not be consumed. Though it wasn’t widely used for culinary or medicinal purposes, related plants in the same family were occasionally utilized by Indigenous groups.

Golden Alexanders are valued for their vibrant floral display, making them ideal for native gardens, rain gardens, and restoration sites. This non-aggressive species coexists well with other prairie and woodland edge plants, offering bold structure and bright yellow umbels that pair beautifully with cool-toned perennials like wild geranium or spiderwort. Its restrained growth habit and minimal self-seeding make it a low-maintenance, eye-catching addition to any landscape.

Great companion plants for part shade gardens that bloom alongside or just after Zizia aurea:

1. Geranium maculatum (Wild Geranium)
   – Soft pink-purple blooms, dappled shade tolerant, early food for bees

2. Phlox divaricata (Wild Blue Phlox)
   – Fragrant lavender-blue flowers, shady and pollinator-friendly

3. Aquilegia canadensis (Columbine)
   – Red and yellow nodding flowers, attracts hummingbirds and bumblebees

4. Carex pensylvanica (Pennsylvania Sedge)
   – Native groundcover, great texture, mixes well beneath wildflowers