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Flora Emslandia - Plants in Emsland (northwestern Germany)

Inflorescence and leaf of the wild angelica (Angelica sylvestris)

 

Plants perennial, herbaceous, with taproot.

Stem erect, hollow, glabrous, grooved, round, often striped reddish, dull, slightly branched. Below the nodes not thickened.

Leaves alternate, stalked, glabrous, triangular in outline, the lower ones 2- to 3-fold pinnate, the upper ones simply pinnate, strongly widened petioles at the base sheathing the stem, at the upper part of the plant often only the leaf sheaths are formed. Leaf sheaths bulbous inflated, leaflets ovate to oblong, dentate. Terminal leaflet not lobed.

Inflorescence: double umbel; umbel stalk pubescent, umbel convex, with 20 to 50 rays, primary rays pubescent, involucre usually missing.

Raylet leaves (involucel) 6–16, linear, bristle-shaped, spreading, as long as the raylets. Umbellules spherical, with 22 to 55 flowers.

The marginal petals not enlarged, apices often bent inward.

The two styles are at the fruiting time three times as long as the stylopodium and strongly spreading. During the blooming period shorter and upright.

From the inferior ovary, consisting of 2 fused carpels, develops a 2-piece schizocarp.

Fruit 4–5,5 mm long, ovate-oblong, straw colored, slightly flattened, with 10 ribs, slightly flattened, the 4 lateral ribs broadly winged, the 3 ribs on the back are blunt and strongly prominent.

Besides Angelica sylvestris ssp. sylvestris, in mountainous regions are found Angelica sylvestris ssp. bernardae. It has leaflets that are oblong to lanceolate, the lower ones fused pairwise, the terminal leaflets are decurrent.

Occurrence:
Forests, wetlands, swamps, pastures. Prefers slightly shady and moist to wet locations.

Distribution:
Europe, parts of Asia and Canada.