Golden Alexander / Zizia aurea
Golden Alexander blooms in late spring and is the native host plant for Black Swallowtail butterflies in their caterpillar stage. It sports a number of small yellow flowers called umbels. We've seen a wide range of insects visit these plants, from very small Yellow-Faced Bees to Carpenter Bees, among others. They're great garden plants in general and can take a fair bit of shade and bloom at a time when not many native wildflowers do.
Their seeds generally need a cold period to break their natural dormancy (e.g. winter!). For the best germination results, you should ideally surface sow or lightly cover them with soil outside in late fall or early winter in either prepared pots or on a patch of soil.
Seed Planting/Germination Key
Storage: Store in a cool, dry, dark place prior to planting.
Rule of thumb for depth of planting: The maximum depth should generally be half the width of the seed, but many wildflower seeds will germinate well if sown on the surface.
Easy: Generally germinates within 5 to 30 days with no need for cold pretreatment. Keep potting mix or soil consistently moist during the germination period.
Cold(30): Germination rates are higher if cold pretreatment applied either by placing the seed within moist paper towel or sand within a refrigerator for 30 days or outside in late winter.
Cold(60): Germination rates are higher if cold pretreatment applied either by placing the seed within moist paper towel or sand within a refrigerator for 60 days or outside in mid-winter.
Cold(90); Outdoors: Germination rates are higher if cold pretreatment applied either by placing the seed within moist paper towel or sand within a refrigerator for 90 days or outside in late fall or early winter. The best route is to plant these outdoors in either a pot or directly on the soil.
Approximate Seeds Per Packet: 100
Germination: Cold(90); Outdoors
Lifecycle: Perennial
Sunlight: Full, Part
Soil Moisture: Wet, Moist, Medium
Height: 3
Bloom Period: April-June
Bloom Color: Yellow
USDA Zones: 3-8
Attracts: Bees, Butterflies
Larval Host For: Black Swallowtail Butterfly