What does alexander mean?
Alexander is best known to most people as a personal name of extraordinary historical weight, carried by kings, tsars, and popes and made legendary by Alexander the Great of Macedon, whose conquests spread the name across three continents. Yet in British botany and foraging, 'alexander' (more often written 'alexanders') names something humbler: Smyrnium olusatrum, a tall biennial herb of the carrot family that grows on coastal cliffs, waste ground, and hedgerows throughout western Europe. Once called black potherb or horse parsley, it was among the most commonly grown vegetables of the ancient and medieval world, cultivated near monasteries until celery displaced it around the seventeenth century. Its young shoots, leaf stalks, and flower buds have a distinctive celery-like flavor with hints of myrrh, and it has enjoyed a revival among modern foragers. The two senses share an origin: the plant's Latin name honors the conqueror himself.
A tall biennial umbelliferous plant (Smyrnium olusatrum) native to Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of Europe, with yellow-green flowers and celery-flavored edible stems, leaves, and buds.
"Monastery gardens once grew alexander in quantity, harvesting its blanched spring shoots like celery."
Usually referred to in the plural as 'alexanders' in British usage.
A male given name of Greek origin (Alexandros), most famously borne by Alexander the Great of Macedon.
"Alexander the Great founded some twenty cities bearing his name during his campaigns."
In botanical and foraging contexts the plant is conventionally discussed in the plural form 'alexanders', even when describing a single specimen's parts.
"Alexanders line the hedgerows of Cornwall from February to April."
Before celery took over the kitchen, this now-forgotten seaside plant called alexander was the vegetable of the Middle Ages — monks grew it by almost every monastery gate.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of alexander
The name derives ultimately from the Greek Alexandros, famously borne by Alexander the Great (356–323 BC), whose fame carried variants of the name across Europe and Asia — Alessandro in Italy, Alejandro in Spain, Iskander in the Islamic world. The plant sense entered English via the Latin botanical name Smyrnium olusatrum, whose epithet 'olusatrum' means 'black herb'; English speakers attached the honored name 'alexander' to it, giving rise to the folk names black potherb and horse parsley. The plant was a staple potherb from Roman times through the Middle Ages but declined after celery became widely cultivated in the seventeenth century.
Related word forms
How alexander is actually used
When referring to the plant, the word is usually written in the plural form 'alexanders' in British foraging and botanical writing. The plant sense is largely confined to Britain and western Europe; elsewhere the word is encountered almost exclusively as the personal name.
Easily confused with alexander
Alexandria is a city name (most famously in Egypt) derived from Alexander the Great, whereas alexander is either the personal name itself or the edible wild plant.
Horse parsley is a folk synonym for the same plant, Smyrnium olusatrum, not a different species.