---Introduction---
I first became familiar with Angelica (Angelica archangelica is the Latin name) whilst living in York a few years ago. Near the town centre is a small health food shop selling big pieces of bright green candied angelica stems. After buying these and enjoying them as a ... Read review
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A review by cladach29 on Angelica September 2nd, 2006
Author's product rating:
Performance
Ease of use
Value for money
Advantages:
Unique aroma & taste, pretty flowerheads, many culinary uses
Disadvantages:
Slow/hard to germinate, seed don't remain viable for long
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
---Introduction---
I first became familiar with Angelica (Angelica archangelica is the Latin name) whilst living in York a few years ago. Near the town centre is a small health food shop selling big pieces of bright green candied angelica stems. After buying these and enjoying them as a snack, I decided to try growing my own in an allotment
---The Plant---
Botanically, a hardy biennial (i.e. a plant that takes two years to complete its life cycle, producing only leaves its first year, then flowering and setting seed its second year). However, they can be grown as a perennial (growing back every spring and dying down in winter) as long as you don't let it set seed.
It belongs to the Umbelliferae family together with similar looking plants such as parsley, giant hog weed, celery and water hemlock. Growing to about 4-6ft high, it produces large numbers of glossy green leaves and a fluted/ribbed flowering stem topped by umbels (umbrella-like) heads of white flowers in summer. The stem is often tinged with purple and the leaves are borne on short branches in groups of 5-12. After flowering the plant sets seed and these are flat, slightly ribbed on one side and buff coloured.
In the wild this plant is not often found in the UK, but where it is found it tends to be growing in damp places such as alongside rivers and streams. More often is found its wild counterpart, Woodland Angelica (Angelica sylvestris). In Scandinavian countries it is much more common and is often found in northern Finland, Sweden and even in Iceland growing near fresh water.
---Cultivation---
This can be problematic. If you can obtain root crowns from someone who already possesses the plant then this is the best method. These crowns should be dug up and transplanted in autumn/winter after the plant has died down.
Plants can be grown from seed but this is not always easy since the seeds only remain viable for a short period of time after they have fallen from the plant (days to weeks). Freshly gathered seed should germinate well, but older seed (such as that bought through seed suppliers) may be in deep dormancy and need special treatment to germinate. Seed should be sown on the surface of normal moist seed compost and the seeds should be at least partly exposed as they need light to germinate. Kept at room temperature, fresh seed will germinate in about 3 weeks. In the case of dormant seed, sow as above and keep at room temperature for 2 weeks. Then, put the pot in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge for 4-6 weeks, before bringing out into normal room temperatures again. This exposure to moisture and cold (stratification) should break the dormancy. In the wild, this is achieved by allowing seed to spend a winter out of doors and of course you can simply sow the seeds outside in autumn where you want them to grow, allowing the winter weather to break their dormancy; however, many may be eaten by predators so pot sowing is best. When sowing in pots it is usual to sow between February and May, to give plants the best chance of getting to a reasonable size before the first winter sets in.
An alternative to stratification for those of limited patience is to buy some GA3 (Giberellic Acid), a naturally occurring plant hormone which acts to initiate germination. This can be purchased online or at garden centres and I have successfully used it on angelica seeds. Indeed, after soaking the seeds overnight in this hormone, I found that they germinated in about 5 days! At the time of writing (Sept 06), Plants A-float (www.plants-a-float.co.uk) are offering GA3 powder for GBP 5.00 per capsule, with one capsule making up an enormous 0.5 LITRES (more than enough to soak seeds in!). Minimum order is GBP 10.00.
Once seedlings are growing well, they can be transplanted outside to their final position. Do not wait until the plants are too big to do this as they do not transplant too well- do it when the seedlings have only a couple of leaves on them. When transplanting any seedling, disturb the roots as little as possible and harden off the seedlings beforehand (let them have 2 weeks where they spend days outdoors and nights indoors).
Growing the plants poses little problem- they grow best in sunny or partly shady spots and enjoy being in damp positions. For some reason, two plants growing next to each other will thrive better than a single plant, so try to plant two or more in patch. Don't let the plants set seed if you want them to behave as perennials.
---Culinary/Herbal uses---
Traditionally, angelica has been used for the unique aroma and taste it possesses in its leaves, stems, roots and seeds (try crunching a few seeds up in your mouth to experience this fully). This is used as a flavouring component in several alcoholic drinks including gin, vermouth and benedictine and in fact angelica has been cultivated commercially around the French town of Niort for centuries for extraction of this flavouring. The flavour is unique, quite unlike the flavour of any other umbelliferous plant; some say it is like musk and personally it always makes me think I am eating some heavy sweet perfume.
In the kitchen, angelica stems can be candied and this confection can be eaten or (more commonly) used to decorate cakes. A tea can also be made from the leaves and the leaves can be added to custard or stewed fruit to improve the flavour.
Medicinally, angelica has been touted as a cure for everything from flatulence to the bubonic plague (plague was in fact the reason it was originally bought to Niort during the middle ages), but as with all herbal remedies it is a case of try it and see, and don't expect an instant cure.
---Alternatives---
Found in the wild, Woodland Angelica (Angelica sylvestris) can be collected and its stems candied like regular garden angelica, but PLEASE BE CAREFUL. ANGELICA STRONGLY RESEMBLES WATER HEMLOCK WHICH IS DEADLY POISONOUS. There are ways to differentiate them (angelica sap has a pleasant aroma, for example, whereas hemlock sap smells of mice) but do not try this unless you are sure you know what you're doing. Hemlock poisoning is a particularly unpleasant way to die.
---Summary---
A nice, unusual looking plant for the herb garden or a damp shady spot in the garden. Attractive heads of flowers and many culinary uses.
Advantages: Many uses, Lovely scent, wonderful potted Disadvantages: Considered a weed, too much for a small area
...Quai (Angelica sinensis), and Poison Angelica are just a few species of this marvelous plant. Typically, they are native to temperate and subarctic areas in the Northern Hemisphere and can be found as far north as Iceland. Approximately 1-2 meters tall with bi-pinnate leaves and sizable compound umbels of greenish-white or white flowers. Garden Angelica (Angelica Archangelica) is the one typically thought of when speaking of the herb Angelica, and ... ...Angelica has a Licorice-like flavor which I find interesting just because they are by no means closely related, perhaps it is their closer relation to anise that brings this flavor. Angelica stems can be candied much like Licorice that is still favored as a candy today. Crystallized Angelica makes a wonderful addition to sweets and cakes of all sorts. Young shoots and stalks of Angelica are best harvested in spring and can be eaten raw or cooked, ...
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Advantages: Extremely versatile plant, can be used as a medicimal remedy as well as in cooking. Disadvantages: Must not be used by diabetics or pregnant women.
...people in the West associated angelica with magic and sorcery and so wore angelica leaf necklaces to protect themselves against spells and illness. They also felt that its presence in the garden or a kitchen cupboard would protect them against charges of witchcraft.
Angelica plants prefer the coolest part of the garden, and like slightly acid, rich and moist soil. They grow quite tall and therefore, may need supported. They have bright green basal ... ...red in colour. The angelica plant produces large clusters of yellow flowers from late spring through to summer, after which it will seed itself.
Both the root and the stems can be used as treatments to many health problems, for instance: it can be used as an expectorant, a diuretic, as a general tonic and for its antiseptic properties - in Asia, it has been used as a gynecological aid for thousands of years.
It is the root which has the most medicinal ...
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Advantages: Good for reducing sugar intake Disadvantages: seeds like mad
Angelica is too large for a small herb garden, and it seeds like mad, so you have to be vigilant if you plant it. But if you like to use its aniseed flavour in cooking, try planting it at the back of a herbaceous border amongst the delphiniums and lupins.
Angelica has a bright green foliage, which is attractive by itself. The flowers can be cut for short-lived flower arrangements if you plug their hollow stems with a little flower-foam before putting ...
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Advantages: Handsome architectural plant Disadvantages: Possibly too large for smaller herb gardens*
...tough. I have grown Angelica for several years. It is certainly a bit big for a small plot but grows upwards rather than outwards. It does need staking in windy areas.
I found it easy to grow from seed which I bought by Mail Order from Chiltern Seeds. It is a perennial herb and is just showing about 12 inches of growth (March) When it begins to grow the stems and young leaves are an attractive reddish pink and bright green. When it is fully grown ... ...(like cow parsley) as it does become a bit untidy as the Summer progresses.
I think it's name is particularly good:Archangelica officinalis. It has a unique flavour and is used a lot for medicinal purposes as well as in the grocery trade.
So, if you have space for this large (up to 6ft) spectacular plant, give it a try. It has many other uses too numerous to mention and cooks will welcome it's unusual sweet flavour. ...
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Advantages: some medicinal values Disadvantages: not the prettiest of plants
...ANGELICA (WILD) Angelica Sylvestris
Also known as: angelweed, woodland angelica, European wild angelica, root of the holy ghost.
Angelica can grow 5 to 8 feet tall, needs rich, moist, well-drained soil in partial shade. The seeds require light for germination; do not cover with soil if planning to establish plants. The plant will produce seeds only once, usually in its second or third year. If you cut the flowers back before they seed each summer, thus extending it's life, the plant will continue to grow for years to come. Angelica is a biennial producing foliage the first year and stems and flowers the second. Flowers time is June to August. It dies back in the winter (no frost protection is necessary). Collect ripe seed in late summer and sow in early autumn. The seeds are fairly large and coated with a straw-like substance...
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