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Tried and True Native Plant Selections
for the Mid-Atlantic
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Zizia aurea ([Common] Golden-alexanders)
Although tiny, the flowers of Golden-alexanders serve an out-sized role in spring and early summer as a nectar source for short-tongued beneficial insects when other flowers may be in short supply. Named North Carolina Wildflower of the Year in 2012, this dainty, carefree native* creates colonies in moist fields, floodplain forests, and riversides but can range into drier habitats.
*In the Mid-Atlantic, it is native to DC and rare in the DE Piedmont and absent in its Coastal Plain. It is observed mostly in MD’s Howard and Montgomery counties and is present throughout PA. In VA, it is frequent in the mountains; infrequent in the Piedmont; and rare in the Coastal Plain. You can view the VA counties in which it has been reported here.
Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants:
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets