Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses

GOLDEN ALEXANDERS

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Zizia aurea (L. ) W.D.J. Koch

Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas

Perennial

Height: 1-3 feet

Family: Apiaceae - Parsley Family

Flowering Period: May, June

Stems:

Erect, often several, branched above, glabrous.

Leaves:

Alternate, long-stalked below to nearly sessile above, egg-shaped to circular in outline, 2.5 to 4 inches long, 2-3 times compound into 3s; leaflets ovate to lanceolate, 1 to 2 inches long, .5 to 1.25 inch wide, glabrous; margins sharply toothed; tips pointed or blunt.

Inflorescences:

Umbels, compound, on stalks 2 to 6 inches long, terminal and in upper leaf axils, 9- to 25-rayed; rays stout, ascending, unequal, .5 to 1.5 inch long.

Flowers:

Tiny, 5-parted, yellow; calyx teeth prominent; stamens 5, extending beyond perianth edges; center flower of each secondary umbel sessile.

Fruits:

Egg-shaped, about 1/6 inch long, glabrous, ribbed, brown, splitting into a pair of 1-seeded segments; seeds flat.

Habitat:

Moist prairies, wet thickets, open wooded hillsides, ditches, and along streams.

Distribution:

East 1/3 of Kansas.

Toxicity:

It will cause vomiting and should be considered toxic.

Uses:

Native Americans used golden alexanders to alleviate fevers and headaches, and early pioneers believed it would cure syphilis.