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What Wildflower Begins Blooming This Week?  (June week 1)

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This week, I’m featuring Great Angelica (Angelica atropurpurea) as one of our local wildflowers that begins to bloom at this time.

With impressive stature, leaves that can reach two feet wide and large umbrella-like flower clusters, this species has an imposing presence.   Another common name of Angelica atropurpurea is Purple-Stemmed Angelica.

Identification Tips:

Great Angelica is a perennial plant that grows 3-8′ tall with sparse branching.  The large hollow stems are pale purple to dark purple with alternate compound leaves along them, primarily along the lower-half of each plant.  The compound leaves are ½-2′ long, ½-2′ across, and widest at their bases.  Each compound leaf has 3-5 leaflets per division.  Leaflets are ¾-4½” long and ½-2½” across, more or less oval in shape with serrated margins and some are shallowly to deeply cleft into lobes.  Upper surface of the leaflets is medium to dark green, while the lower surface is pale or whitish green; both surfaces are smooth.  The leaflets are either sessile or they have short petioles and they often have winged extensions at their bases.  Stem branches are long, stout, and conspicuously sheathed at their bases; sheaths are green to light purple to dark purple and smooth.

The plant has white to greenish flowers in umbrella-like umbels.  One umbel may have as many as 40 branches and be up to 8 inches across.  The upper stems terminate in one or more compound umbels of flowers spanning 3-9″ across; they are globe-like in shape.  Sometimes the stem (peduncle) of a compound umbel will branch and terminate in another compound umbel.  Each compound umbel has 15-40 floral branches (rays) that terminate in small umbellets.  Each umbellet has numerous greenish white to pale yellow flowers on individual flower stems (pedicels) about ½” in length.  Each flower is up to ¼” across, consisting of 5 petals.

Afterwards, the flowers are replaced by dry seed-like fruits (consisting of double achenes).  The fruits are between ¼ – 1/3 inch in length, oblong ovoid in shape, and slightly flattened with 3 longitudinal ridges on each side.  Immature fruits are greenish yellow, turning brown at maturity.

Folklore:

The aromatic root of angelica has widespread use as a purification herb among the Native American cultures.

Culinary and Medicinal Uses:

Caution!  All members of this genus contain furocoumarins, which increase skin sensitivity to sunlight and may cause phytophotodermatitis.

The leaves, stalks and seeds are edible with a liquorice-like flavor; stalks contain the strongest flavor.  Use stems in salads and leaves in soups, stews, and teas.  Young stalks and young shoots can be consumed cooked or raw, but should be peeled.  A tea can be made from the leaves or seeds.

Early American settlers prepared a gourmet confection prepared by sugaring the boiled stems.

American Indians used a decoction of the plant as a general tonic to treat anemia, colic, flatulence, gout, indigestion, and respiratory and urinary disorders.  Herbalists have used the root, which was official in the United States Pharmacopoeia from 1820 to 1860, as an aromatic, tonic, stimulant, carminative (relieves flatulence), diuretic (increases the flow of urine) and diaphoretic (causing perspiration).

Wildlife Value:

Great Angelica flowers attract Syrphid flies, bee flies, and Andrenid bees.  These visitors are attracted primarily to the nectar of the flowers.  Great Angelica serves as the host plant for caterpillars of Umbellifer Borer Moth (Papaipema insulidens), Cow Parsnip Borer Moth (Papaipema harrisii), Eastern Black Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio polyxenes asterius), and Short-tailed Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio brevicauda).

Where Found Locally: