North Carolina Wildflower Of The Year

2012 Wildflower of the Year

Common golden alexanders
Zizia aurea

Common golden alexanders, Zizia aurea, is one of my favorites for so many reasons. Its low, mounded form is compact and good looking and tucks into all kinds of garden spaces. The golden yellow of its many tiny flowers is so welcome in early spring. It also attracts black swallowtail caterpillars, which are far more entertaining than my usual herbivores (deer) and turn into beautiful butterflies. This perennial is a great addition to any garden.

In bloom, common golden alexanders gets to be about 2 feet tall, but for much of the year its coarsely divided foliage occupies a space that's about 1 foot high and 1½ feet across. This plant thrives in full sun but can also take some shade. It prefers average to moist growing conditions. In the right location, it will gradually seed-in. Seedlings are easy to move or can be left in place to create an attractive mass. Its bloom time overlaps with eastern columbine, Aquilegia canadensis, and creeping phlox, Phlox stolonifera. All three have similar soil and light requirements, so try them together for a colorful early spring display.

Common golden alexanders is in the carrot family, Apiaceae. A common feature of many plants in this family is that their flowers are arranged in flat-topped clusters called umbels, hence the family's alternate name: Umbelliferae. Many familiar herbs, including parsley, fennel, and rue, and native perennials, like yellow pimpernel and angelica, are also members of this group.

Species in the carrot family are host plants for the black swallowtail butterfly, Papilio polyxenes. The caterpillars, also called parsleyworms, can be found consuming the foliage of common golden alexanders summer into fall. Having an abundance of plants will ensure plenty of caterpillar food, so you might consider leaving extra seedlings in place. Young caterpillars look like tiny bird droppings, while more mature instars have green and black bands with yellow markings. They can really do some eating in a good year, but have no fear; the plants will bounce right back.

Get to know this plant in your own garden or look for it in the woods or along roadsides throughout the eastern United States. It grows from the mountains to the coast in North Carolina. —Chris Lilioa, Curator

General information about the N.C. Wildflower of the Year program and how to order seeds.

We have printed an illustration of common golden alexanders by Dot Wilbur-Brooks on T-shirts. They are beautiful and available for purchase in our Gift and Book Shop.