golden alexanders

noun

golden al·​ex·​an·​ders -ˌa-lig-ˈzan-dərz 

-ˌe-lig-

variants or golden Alexanders

plural in form but singular or plural in construction

: a North American yellow-flowered perennial herb (Zizia aurea) of the carrot family occurring in moist woods and meadows

also : any of several related herbs

Examples of golden alexanders in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Like most meadow stewards, I’m transfixed from the first golden alexanders of spring to the last goldenrods and Joe Pye weeds of autumn. —Tovah Martin, Washington Post, 21 June 2023

Perennials include milkweeds, asters, senna, golden alexanders, violets, toothworts, turtlehead, hairy beardtongue, hibiscus, and pussytoes. —Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 13 Apr. 2022

The plant on the left is the nearly-identical Zizia aurea, also called golden Alexander — a native perennial and important plant food for the Missouri woodland swallowtail butterfly, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden. —Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, 3 Aug. 2018

Word History

Etymology

alexander any of various herbs of the carrot family, ultimately from Medieval Latin alexandrum

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined above