Alexanders

Description:

This spring I discovered a very interesting plant, which, up to now I treated as an invasive weed... I could not have been more wrong. The plant grows in large massifs (pic No 4), covering a lot of ground very fast. It can grow up to 1,5m in height and produces yellowish terminal umbels typical to Apiaceae family (pic No 1). Leaves are compound (3 leaflets) and dark green, with a large cream-whitish and violet-striped petiole at basis - the petiole itself is an important element for correct identification (see references for pic).

Habitat:

As mentioned above, I considered this plant as an invasive weed before, and indeed, in our garden this plant is growing everywhere, creating large massifs along the walls of terrasses and often in shade of trees. The garden itself is a typical Mediterranean garden, terraced and covered in Mediterranean fruit trees and mainly spontaneous plants, most of them melliferous. The garden is located in urban environment, at outskirts of Dubrovnik, on lower slopes of Srdj mountain.

Notes:

I always hesitated experimenting with wild plants from carrot family, and was afraid of misidentifying them, as there are few common and very toxic ones in the family (hemlocks). This spring, I managed to ID this one (hopefully correctly :-) ), using various sources and characteristics; and have learnt how useful it can be. The whole plant is edible and was appreciated (and still is in some cultures) as an early vegetable, being ready for consumption as early as February (this year in Dubrovnik, even in January). The wikipedia reference beside provides good overview of ways of use, but in short - stems and leaves can be consumed os pot leaf; young leaves as salades and cooked vegetables; root can be used the same way as celery root (grated in salads or cooked), while seeds can replace pepper as spices... It provides just an incredible array of possible uses, and I got really lucky to salvage one corner when the family decided to cut all herbs... and I hope for some good cooking experiments this summer.