Zizia aurea
Encyclopedia
Zizia aurea is a flowering perennial forb
of the carrot family (Apiaceae
). Golden Alexanders is hardy in USDA zones 4-9. It can be found from Quebec
to Saskatoon
in Canada
, south to Florida
and Texas
in the United States
.
This native North American flower usually ranges in height from forty centimeters to seventy five centimeters tall but can sometimes grow taller. The leaves of the Golden Alexanders can up to eight centimeters long and five centimeters wide. They are normally lanceolate or ovate in shape. Other distinguishing factors of the leaves are that they have serrated edges as well as two or three lobes in the leaf.
Golden Alexanders blooms from May to June. Their flowers are yellow in color and bunched at the top of the plant. Each flower is only three millimeters long and has five sepals, five petals, and five stamens. Each flower produces a single three to four millimeter long, oblong, green fruit capsule. These fruit change color as the year goes on and contain a brown seed. In the fall both the leave and the fruit turn purple.
Forb
A forb is a herbaceous flowering plant that is not a graminoid . The term is used in biology and in vegetation ecology, especially in relation to grasslands and understory.-Etymology:...
of the carrot family (Apiaceae
Apiaceae
The Apiaceae , commonly known as carrot or parsley family, is a group of mostly aromatic plants with hollow stems. The family is large, with more than 3,700 species spread across 434 genera, it is the sixteenth largest family of flowering plants...
). Golden Alexanders is hardy in USDA zones 4-9. It can be found from Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
to Saskatoon
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, south to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
This native North American flower usually ranges in height from forty centimeters to seventy five centimeters tall but can sometimes grow taller. The leaves of the Golden Alexanders can up to eight centimeters long and five centimeters wide. They are normally lanceolate or ovate in shape. Other distinguishing factors of the leaves are that they have serrated edges as well as two or three lobes in the leaf.
Golden Alexanders blooms from May to June. Their flowers are yellow in color and bunched at the top of the plant. Each flower is only three millimeters long and has five sepals, five petals, and five stamens. Each flower produces a single three to four millimeter long, oblong, green fruit capsule. These fruit change color as the year goes on and contain a brown seed. In the fall both the leave and the fruit turn purple.