Golden Alexanders vs Meadow Parsnip
These two species are easily confused where their ranges overlap, especially the yellow-flowering variety of Thaspium trifoliatum. They can be distinguished with ease by looking at their seeds, and with effort by examining their flowers. They also have subtle differences in leaf shape, although variability makes this less reliable.
Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea) | Meadow Parsnip (Thaspium trifoliatum) |
A carrot-family perennial of moist to mesic, sunny areas, with yellow blossoms, native to eastern North America. |
References & External Resources
These short lists show only links helpful for ID. For a complete list of references and resources also covering other aspects of ecology, visit the links section of the full article on each plant, whcih is the first entry here.