Angelica sylvestris
| Angelica sylvestris | |
| Light: |    |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Life Cycle: | Biennial |
| Height: | 5' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Angelica sylvestris (common name: wild 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]. Succeeds in deep shade.
Plants are reliably perennial if they are prevented from setting seed[1].
Range: Most of Europe, including Britain, to W. Asia and Siberia.
Habitat: Moist fields and hedgerows, open woods, marshes and fens, not usually found on acid soils[2][3].
Edibility: Leaves, young shoots and stems - used as an aromatic addition to salads[2], or cooked and used as a vegetable[4][5][6][3][7]. The taste is somewhat bitter[5]. The chopped leaves are a good addition to cooked acid fruits, especially rhubarb[7].
The stem and leafstalks are used in candies and sweetmeats[4][8][9][7].
Seed - used as an aromatic flavouring in confections and pastries[4][2].
Root - cooked[4].
Medicinal: The root and the seeds are antispasmodic, aromatic, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic, and tonic[2][3][10][11][12]. This plant is less rich in active principles than A. archangelica and so is much less used medicinally than that species[13][14], but a decoction is sometimes used in the treatment of bronchial catarrh, coughs and dyspepsia[13]. Large doses have the effect of depressing the central nervous system[2].
Usage: The pulverized fruits are used to kill head parasites[8][15].
A good yellow dye is obtained from the plant (the report does not specify which part of the plant)[16].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, beetles
Habit: Biennial
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: All members of this genus contain furocoumarins, which increase skin sensitivity to sunlight and may cause dermatitis[17].
Also Known As: A. montana. Brot.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
- ↑ Ceres. Free for All. Thorsons Publishers, 1977.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger. Herbs. Pan Books, 1990.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.