Is this Alexanders?

[StripyPixieSocks]

Found this outside the gate and wondered if it was Alexanders?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skyblue1971/4523645109/

Have got a couple more photos if that one isn't enough...

Don't want to poison myself if it is not what I think it is!

[MKG]

Don't know what it is, SPS (although it looks familiar) but I'd say it's definitely not Alexanders. Take a Google - it's much more parsley-like in leaf form.

Mike

[Nomada]

It looks much like it. The wings/bracts at the base of the stem are quite distictive, however, there's one or two things it could be mistaken for. Are the flowers yellowish? They look like they've got the yellowish middles. Any chance of showing a few more details? Especially close ups of the flowers or seeds, even the full shape of the leaf? The umbellifers are a tricky plant group and not one that you want to get wrong! You could try this site, follow the key carefully and it should present you with a few options at least;

http://www.botanicalkeys.co.uk/flora/

[StripyPixieSocks]

This is a photo of the same plant on the other side of the gate: http://www.flickr.com/photos/skyblue1971/4524330153/

OH says the big one had a 50p shaped stem and a red tinge to the large stem at the bottom.

Thanks for your help guys :)

I did Google but I can't seem to find anything exactly like anything I would feel confident about deciding if it's safe to eat or not!

[Nomada]

I still think it might be alaxanders but you're right to avoid it if you're not sure. Here's a good piccy of it.

http://www.thewildflowersociety.com/wfs ... _large.jpg

The flowers are usually very yellowish so I'd expect them to be more yellowy than that but it's one of those features that's quite variable so you can get them in cream and white. The leaves and seeds are the most reliable things to use to ID them with. Do you have any kind of natural history group or anything local to you, they'd usually be able to ID it with certainty.

[StripyPixieSocks]

Unfortunately I don't know if there's a natural history group around as I only moved here in January.

I've been looking and looking and comparing them to their more deadlier family and I'm almost convinced they are Alexanders but I'm going to wait until they flower properly and I've seen an entire season, perhaps the seeds might be more identifiable?

There's tons of it about and some near the bus stop seem to have been hacked down to a stump and taken away, not enough for a clearing of the wayside but enough for cooking it looks like...

... ah well we'll just have to wait and see, I'm not really very good at the old foraging thing, too scared I think

[Nomada]

The seeds are one of the best feature to identify from. Does your local library have a copy of umbellifers of the British Isles? That'll be one of the best books to use.

[MKG]

Aaaah - now I've seen Nomada's piccy (well, not Nomada's piccy but her piccy of the plant), I've changed my mind. It's the basal leaves which confused me, but there they are. It might be Alexanders.

Mike

[benner]

Looks very similar to what I'm sure are alexanders growing near me. I haven't had the courage to try them yet though!

[StripyPixieSocks]

Well we tried them a couple of days ago and we're still here.........

We just steamed them and put some butter on like Asparagus and they were... different

They tasted somewhat like Asparagus + a strong herbal taste + Lemon... a tad weird but not horrible. I don't think we'd eat them every day but they're nice occasionally I suppose!

Given that it seems to be covering about 80% of where we live I'm surprised there's not more people eating it though.

In the end, can't see what the big fuss is about but we'd have it again, probably earlier in the season