Smyrnium olusatrum, common name alexanders (or alisander) is an edible flowering plant of the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae), which grows on waste ground and in hedges around the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastal regions of Europe.

[1] The stem leaves are arranged in a spiral (although the upper cauline ones are often opposite and sometimes in whorls of 3), with an inflated, purple-striped, fleshy petiole that has papery margins towards the base.

[1] The mature fruit is a black schizocarp 6.5–8 mm long, which splits into two single-seeded mericarps, revealing a stalk (the carpophore) that runs between them.

A commonly cultivated herb which does resemble it in its dark, shiny foliage is Lovage, which has more sharply toothed leaves, no latex in the petiole, and a more erect habit.

The Apoideae are characterised by highly divided leaves, a lack of stipules, the compound umbels, the presence of a stylopodium, and fruit with a membranous endocarp and vittae.

[14] Alexanders is widespread in Britain, where it is frequent in coastal areas in the south, becoming progressively rarer towards the north of Scotland, and absent from Orkney and Shetland.

[18][1] More generally in Europe, it occurs throughout the Mediterranean, where it is recorded in all coastal areas, including the islands, and it extends as far as Crimea and the Black Sea.

It is also found along the Atlantic coast of the continent from the Iberian Peninsula northwards through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and (recently) into Norway; and westwards to the Azores.

The conservation status of alexanders in Britain and France is Least Concern,[19][20] and it is not considered to be threatened in any region, although it is rare in some countries, such as Belgium.

[22] In Britain and the more northerly parts of Europe, the main habitat for alexanders is tall grassland, typically on road verges and woodland edges.

In the British National Vegetation Classification this habitat is described as a herb-rich type of MG1 false oat-grass community which, under other circumstances, would likely be dominated by cow parsley.

[24] Its Ellenberg values in Britain are L = 7, F = 5, R = 7, N = 7, and S = 0,[25] which describe its requirements as fairly well-lit places on well-drained soils, neutral pH, medium fertility and no need for salinity.

[1] In France it is considered a characteristic species of seasonally dry river valleys with chaste tree scrub in the Mediterranean region.

Three produce leaf mines: the celery fly, Euleia heraclei (L., 1758), which creates dark patches on the leaf surface; a beetle, Orthochaetes insignis (Aube, 1863), whose larvae produce irregular tunnels; and another fly, Phytomyza smyrnii Spencer, 1954 (which has not been found in Britain but is known in Portugal), that creates linear mines.

In the west of Britain, it had a reputation amongst sailors of "clearing the blood" and curing scurvy, and in Dorset it was known as "helrut", which is possibly a corruption of "heal root".

[33] These are considered to be the best part, and are dug up during the winter, when the tubers are most fleshy, although foragers in Britain often overlook them, as it is illegal to uproot wild plants.

William Turner, writing in the late 16th century, explained how this was the accepted wisdom of his "masters", Antonius Musa, Fuchsius and Ruellius (referring to their herbals).

"[40] John Ray explained in 1660 that alexanders was so called because in Italy and Germany it was known as herba alexandrina, having been supposed to have been brought from Alexandria.

[1] Alexanders (i.e. modern Smyrnium olusatrum) is often described as being native to the Mediterranean and only introduced further north,[16] but Randall points out that this is not based on any real evidence.