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Angelica sylvestris - L.

Common Name Wild Angelica,Woodland angelica
Family Apiaceae or Umbelliferae
USDA hardiness 4-8
Known Hazards All members of this genus contain furocoumarins, which increase skin sensitivity to sunlight and may cause dermatitis[238].
Habitats Moist fields and hedgerows, open woods, marshes and fens, not usually found on acid soils[7, 13].
Range Most of Europe, including Britain, to W. Asia and Siberia.
Edibility Rating    (3 of 5)
Other Uses    (1 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (2 of 5)
Care (info)
Fully Hardy Moist Soil Full shade Semi-shade Full sun
Angelica sylvestris Wild Angelica,Woodland angelica


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Illustration_Angelica_silvestris0.jpg
Angelica sylvestris Wild Angelica,Woodland angelica
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:TeunSpaans

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Angelica sylvestris is a BIENNIAL growing to 1.5 m (5ft).
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies, beetles. The plant is self-fertile.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

A. montana. Brot.

Plant Habitats

Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; not Deep Shade; Hedgerow;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves  Root  Seed  Shoots
Edible Uses: Condiment

Leaves, young shoots and stems - used as an aromatic addition to salads[7], or cooked and used as a vegetable[2, 5, 8, 13, 183]. The taste is somewhat bitter[5]. The chopped leaves are a good addition to cooked acid fruits, especially rhubarb[183]. The stem and leafstalks are used in candies and sweetmeats[2, 46, 105, 183]. Seed - used as an aromatic flavouring in confections and pastries[2, 7]. Root - cooked[2].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Antispasmodic  Carminative  Diaphoretic  Diuretic  Expectorant  Parasiticide  Stimulant  Stomachic  
Tonic

The root and the seeds are antispasmodic, aromatic, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic, and tonic[7, 13, 21, 147, 218]. This plant is less rich in active principles than A. archangelica and so is much less used medicinally than that species[9, 244], but a decoction is sometimes used in the treatment of bronchial catarrh, coughs and dyspepsia[9]. Large doses have the effect of depressing the central nervous system[7].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

Dye  Parasiticide

The pulverized fruits are used to kill head parasites[46, 61]. A good yellow dye is obtained from the plant (the report does not specify which part of the plant)[4].

Special Uses

Food Forest

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Requires a deep moist fertile soil in dappled shade or full sun[200]. Succeeds in deep shade. Plants are reliably perennial if they are prevented from setting seed[200].

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe since the seed only has a short viability[200]. Seed can also be sown in the spring, though germination rates will be lower. It requires light for germination[200]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in the spring. The seed can also be sow in situ as soon as it is ripe.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

TEMPERATE ASIA: Syria, Turkey, Georgia, Russian Federation (Buryatia, Gorno-Altay, Tyva, Respublika, Yakutia-Sakha (south), Altay, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Kemerovskaja oblast, Kurganskaja oblast, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Tomsk, Tyumen), China (Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu) EUROPE: Denmark, Finland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Russian Federation (European part), Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Ukraine, Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Croatia, Italy (incl. Sardinia, Sicily), North Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, France (incl. Corsica), Portugal

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Angelica acutilobaDong Dang GuiPerennial0.7 6-9  LMHSNM21 
Angelica anomala Perennial1.5 -  LMHSNM02 
Angelica archangelicaAngelica, Norwegian angelicaBiennial1.5 4-8  LMHSNM332
Angelica atropurpureaPurplestem AngelicaPerennial3.0 4-8  LMHSNM22 
Angelica crucifolia Perennial0.8 -  LMHSNM20 
Angelica dahuricaBai ZhiBiennial/Perennial1.8 -  LMHSNM23 
Angelica decursiva Perennial1.5 -  LMHSNM22 
Angelica edulis Perennial3.0 -  LMHSNM20 
Angelica genuflexaKneeling AngelicaPerennial1.0 -  LMHSNM211
Angelica gigasGiant Angelica, Purple Parsnip, Korean AngelicaPerennial1.8 4-8 MLMHSNM22 
Angelica glauca Perennial2.0 -  LMHSNM211
Angelica japonica Perennial1.0 -  LMHNM30 
Angelica keiskei Perennial1.2 -  LMHSNM20 
Angelica koreana Perennial1.0 -  LMHSNM20 
Angelica laxiflora Perennial0.0 -  LMHSNM01 
Angelica megaphylla Perennial2.0 -  LMHSNM20 
Angelica montana Perennial1.5 -  LMHSNM20 
Angelica polymorpha Perennial1.0 -  LMHSNM22 
Angelica pubescensDu HuoPerennial1.8 6-9  LMHSNM23 
Angelica sinensisDang Gui - Dong Quai - Chinese AngelicaPerennial1.0 6-9  LMHSNM051
Angelica uchiyamanae Perennial0.0 -  LMHSNM01 
Angelica ursina Perennial3.0 -  LMHSNM20 
Aralia chinensisChinese Angelica Tree, Pumila Spirea, Chinese AstilbeShrub3.5 4-8 MLMHFSM22 
Aralia elataJapanese Angelica Tree, Angelica TreeTree6.0 4-9 MLMHSNM322
Aralia mandschuricaManchurian Angelica TreeShrub3.5 4-8  LMHSNM22 
Aralia spinosaHercule's Club, Aralia spinosa, American Angelica Tree, Hercules' Club, Devil's Walking StickTree9.0 5-9 SLMHFSM222

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

L.

Botanical References

17

Links / References

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Readers comment

Marinella Zepigi Pessina   Sun Oct 29 2006

Il Forum dei Funghi e Fiori in Italia - Micologia e Botanica

   Thu Nov 16 2006

is this plant like a wild celery?

Ken Fern, Plants for a Future   Mon Nov 20 2006

This plant is in the same family as celery, but has quite different properties and flavour.

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Subject : Angelica sylvestris  
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