Angelica archangelica Seeds | Garden Angelica

Pale brown, ribbed Garden Angelica seeds in opposite pairs, on a plain background — Garden Angelica (*Angelica archangelica*): Apiaceae, native to northern Europe and Russia and cultivated since the Middle Ages.

LATIN NAME: Angelica archangelica

COMMON NAME: Garden Angelica

Plant Profile

Garden Angelica is a stately biennial or short-lived perennial of the carrot family, rising one to two and a half metres in its second year from a thick, aromatic root. The stems are hollow, ribbed and flushed with purple, the leaves are large and divided into broad leaflets, and the flower heads are great greenish-white umbels that open in midsummer and are covered in bees.

It comes from northern Europe and Russia, where it grows along rivers and in damp woodland, and it has been cultivated since the Middle Ages both as a vegetable and as a medicine. It dies after flowering, but it self-sows freely enough that a colony can persist for decades in the same spot.

Science & Biotechnology

The aroma comes from a mixture of monoterpenes and coumarins in the root and seed, and the root is one of the standard botanicals in gin: most London dry gins include angelica root as a fixative that holds the other flavours together. The seed oil is used in vermouth and in liqueurs such as Chartreuse and Bénédictine.

The plant also contains furocoumarins, which are phototoxic, and the fresh root and leaf can cause a rash on skin exposed to sunlight. That chemistry is the reason angelica is handled with care in herbal practice, and it is a reminder that the umbellifer family includes some of the most poisonous plants in Europe.

Uses & Benefits

The stems are candied and used in confectionery and cake decoration, a tradition that goes back to medieval Europe, and the roots and seeds flavour gin, bitters and herbal liqueurs. In Scandinavia the young stems were eaten cooked like celery, and the seeds are still used to flavour aquavit.

In the garden it is a plant for the back of a damp border or a wild corner, where its height and its huge umbels give structure in midsummer. It is also one of the best plants for bringing beneficial insects into a vegetable plot, since the open flower heads are accessible to short-tongued flies and beetles as well as to bees.

Growing from Seed

Seed loses viability quickly, so sow it fresh in autumn, on the surface of a moist compost, and leave the pots outside through winter; cold and moisture are needed before germination will start. If seed must be stored, keep it cool and sow it within a few months.

Plant out in deep, moist, humus-rich soil in sun or part shade, and water through dry spells. The plant flowers in its second year and then dies, so let a few heads ripen to keep the colony going, or sow again each autumn. Stake the stems in exposed gardens, since the height makes them vulnerable to wind.

Our Take

A tall, aromatic umbellifer that earns its place in the herb garden, the still and the border. It is biennial and short-lived, so the skill is in keeping the self-sown seedlings coming.

Herb Seeds