Zizia aurea
| Zizia aurea | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Apiales |
| Family: | Apiaceae |
| Genus: | Zizia |
| Species: | Z. aurea
|
| Binomial name | |
| Zizia aurea (
W.D.J. Koch | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Zizia aurea (golden alexanders, golden zizia) is a flowering
Atlantic Coast. The genus is named for Johann Baptist Ziz, a German botanist.[3] 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.
Description
Zizia aurea grows to 40 to 75 centimetres (16 to 30 in) tall but can sometimes grow taller. The leaves are 8 cm (3+1⁄4 in) long and 5 cm (2 in) wide. They are attached to the stems
lanceolate or ovate with serrated edges. The root system consists of a dense cluster of coarse fibrous roots.[4]
It blooms from May to June. Its flowers are yellow and grow in a flat-topped umbel at the top of the plant. Each flower is only 3 mm (0.12 in) long and has five sepals, five petals, and five stamens. Each flower produces a single 3 to 4 mm (0.12 to 0.16 in) long, oblong fruit (schizocarp) containing two seeds. In the fall both the leaves and the fruit turn purple.[4]
Distribution and habitat
Golden Alexander is native to the United States and Canada. It grows from
zones
4–9.
Ecology
It is a host plant for the caterpillars of the
mining bee species Andrena ziziae are oligolectic on Zizia aurea—they eat only its pollen.[6] Dozens of species of bees, flies, wasps, butterflies, and other insects visit the flowers of Zizia aurea for its nectar.[6]
References
- ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org.
- Missouri Botanical Gardens – via The Plant List. Note that this website has been superseded by World Flora Online
- ^ Zizia aurea (L.) W.D.J.Koch Wisconsin State Herbarium, UW-Madison
- ^ a b c d e Hilty, John (2020). "Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)". Illinois Wildflowers.
- ^ USDA NRCS Plant Fact Sheet for Z. aurea Retrieved 2010-03-08
- ^ a b c Wilhelm, Gerould; Rericha, Laura (2017). Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Indiana Academy of Sciences.