Angelica atropurpurea
| Angelica atropurpurea | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 10' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Angelica atropurpurea (common name: purplestem angelica)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe since the seed only has a short viability[1]. Seed can also be sown in the spring, though germination rates will be lower. It requires light for germination[1]. 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.
Cultivation: Requires a deep moist fertile soil in dappled shade or full sun[1].
Plants are reliably perennial if they are prevented from setting seed[1].
Range: Eastern N. America - Newfoundland to Ontario and Minnesota, south to Delaware, Illinois and Iowa.
Habitat: Rich thickets, bottomlands and swamps[2].
Edibility: Young shoots and leaf stalks - raw or cooked[3][4][5]. When boiled in two lots of water they form a vegetable that strongly resembles celery. They can be peeled and eaten in salads or blanched and cooked like asparagus[6]. The stems can also be candied and used as a sweetmeat[7].
Root, leafstalks and stems - candied[5][6].
Medicinal: A tea made from the leaves is carminative and stomachic[8]. It is also used in the treatment of colds, rheumatism etc[8]. The seed and roots can also be used and have a stronger effect[8]. The plant has similar properties to angelica, A. archangelica, though it is inferior since it is less aromatic[9].
The root is carminative, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, sedative, stomachic and tonic[10]. An infusion has been used in the treatment of fevers, colds, flatulent colic and other stomach disorders, obstructed menses and as a general tonic for women[10]. Externally it has been used as a gargle for sore throats and mouths and as a poultice for broken bones, swellings etc[10]. It has also been used, both internally and externally, as a treatment for rheumatism[10].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: All members of this genus contain furocoumarins, which increase skin sensitivity to sunlight and may cause dermatitis[11].
Also Known As: Archangelica atropurpurea. (L.)Hoffm.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Harris, Ben. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health, 1973.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.