Alexanders   -   Smyrnium olusatrum

This is one of many species in the Umbelliferae family  -  plants with umbrella-like flowers.

Books will tell you it flowers from April, but with climate change, this plant can now certainly be seen in March, and possibly even as early as February.

You tend to find a lot of it growing together in one place, and it can be found in hedges, roadsides, ditches and coastal habitats.

The name of the plant comes from the fact that the plant is/was common in Macedonia, which was the country of Alexander the Great. In the 1600s, the plant's black seeds were sold by apothecaries  -  they were called Macedonian parsley seeds. They were thought to have a variety of herbal uses, from healing snake bites to curing flatulence!

All of the plant can be eaten. The Generic part of the scientific name, Smyrnium, comes from Greek and means 'myrrh', which refers to it tasting like myrrh. The leaves have been used as a herb, and also to make a white sauce. The stems, when young, can be cooked, and then eaten like asparagus. Even the flower buds have been used, in salads, and the roots have been cooked as an alternative to parsnip.