Date: Location:
| Classification Hierarchy | |
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Subkingdom | Tracheophyta |
| Superdivision | Spermatophyta |
| Division | Magnoliophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Subclass | Rosidae |
| Order | Apiales |
| Family | Apiaceae |
| Genus | Zizia |
| Species | Zizia aptera |
Date: Location:
Scientific Name: Zizia aptera (Zizia in honor of botanist Johann Baptist Ziz; aptera [Lat] ?)
Common Name: Meadow Zizia or Heart-leaved meadow parsnip (and many others).
Origin: Native
Notes: This plant has only been reported in a few of Iowa's northern counties. It has been found in woods, thickets, meadows, and dry prairies. It is sometimes confused with Thaspium trifoliatum (which has not been reported to occur in Iowa).
Additional references: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
Flowers: small, yellow, in compound umbels, calyx teeth prominent, no stylopodium, no involucre, involucels present, blooms in late May. Fruit; oblong - somewhat flattened, wingless, central fruit in each umbellet is sessile - the others are on pedicels.
Leaves: basal leaves long petioled, simple cordate , toothed; cauline leaves alternate, simply ternate or quinate; leaflets leathery,lanceolate, margins toothed (serrate).
Stems: The plant usually stands 1 to 3 feet tall on glabrous occasionally branched stems.
Glossary: Botanical Terms pdf
Comments: In addition to Zizia aptera, there are at least three other plants in this area with small yellow flowers in compound umbels. The most common of these is the invasive plant Pastinaca sativa that is often seen in abundance along road sides and other disturbed areas. Another member of the genus Zizia is Z. aurea which is common in prairie remnants and sedge meadows. Z. aurea has compound basal leaves. Taenidia integerrima and Thaspium barbinode are also similiar in appearance. The fruit and leaf anatomy of each plant is sufficiently distinctive to tell the four plants apart.