[3] The common name is based on the similarity to alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum), another member of the carrot family from coastal areas in Europe and Northern Africa.

[6] Dozens of species of bees, flies, wasps, butterflies, and other insects visit the flowers of Zizia aurea for its nectar.

[6] Native Americans in the United States and Canada put the plant to a variety of medicinal uses: the leaves and flowers were used to prepare a tea believed to be beneficial in the treatment of disorders of the female reproductive system, while the root, believed to possess hemostatic and hypnotic properties, was also crushed and used to treat sharp pains, used to prepare poultices for the treatment of inflammations and sores and infused to brew a tea considered to have febrifugal virtues.

[7] The raw flowers (trimmed of any tougher stems) are sometimes added to green salads, while the young inflorescences are eaten whole after blanching in the same way as that used to cook broccoli.

[7] Care should be taken to wash thoroughly skin exposed to the sap of broken plant tissues, as subsequent exposure to the UV in sunlight may cause burns and blistering - as in the case of several species of the related Apiaceous genus Heracleum - notably H. mantegazzianum, the giant hogweed.