Zizia aptera - Heart-Leaved Alexander

Heart-Leaved Alexander is a cheerful, early-blooming perennial with clusters of bright yellow, flat-topped flowers that bloom in late spring, adding a burst of color to meadows and woodland edges. Its broad, heart-shaped green leaves form a dense, leafy base, while sturdy stems rise above, supporting the sunny blooms. A valuable nectar source for a wide variety of pollinators, including native bees, small butterflies, and beneficial flies, it also serves as a host plant for the Black Swallowtail butterfly.

Thriving in moist to moderately dry soils, Heart-Leaved Alexander is adaptable to a range of conditions from open meadows to light shade in woodland edges. Its easy-going nature and tidy clumping habit make it a versatile addition to wildflower gardens, prairie plantings, pollinator gardens, and naturalized landscapes. Deer resistant, its coarse foliage and bitter taste make it unappealing to browsers.