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Wild Angelica

Wild Angelica

Angelica sylvestris

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How common: Very common

Wild Angelica is a very tall, sturdy plant with big, umbrella‑like clusters of small white to slightly pink flowers. It grows in damp, nutrient‑rich places and is common along edges and open spots. Many insects visit its flowers. Warning: the sap can burn the skin in sunlight.

Did you know?

  • Its umbrella‑like flower clusters attract many insects such as hoverflies.
  • At a glance it can be confused with giant hogweeds, but it is much smaller.

About the species

Identification

Very tall, 1.5–2 m. Stem sturdy, grooved, hollow, often reddish‑mottled; few branches; softly hairy near the top. Leaves big and many‑parted, overall broad‑triangular; the small leaf pieces (3–5 cm) are oval with shallow teeth; the end piece is usually whole. The base of each leaf loosely wraps the stem, and the leaf stalk has a groove on top; the topmost leaves are mostly just the swollen base. Flower heads are many small round balls gathered into a large umbrella‑like cluster; flowers white to slightly pink. Dry seeds are two‑part, about 5 mm, with thin wings at the edges. Can be mistaken for hogweeds, but is smaller and more softly cut. Kukkii Suomessa pääasiassa heinä–elokuussa.

Plant group

Herbaceous plants

Habitat

meadow

Toxicity

Its sap can burn the skin in sunlight – do not touch it with bare hands. Source: HUS Poison Information Centre (Finland), tel. 0800 147 111.

Flowering

Jul–Aug

About the habitat

Grows in moist, nutrient‑rich ground: damp woods, wet meadows, riverbanks and lakeshores, forest edges, roadsides and ditches. Prefers sun to light shade. Yleinen lähes koko maassa, Pohjois-Lapissa harvinainen.

Sources

Photo: W.carter, CC0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wild angelica - before blooming.jpg

Text: Pinkka: Verso- ja leviäintunnistus - Kaikki leviäimet, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39235

Text: Pinkka: Verso- ja leviäintunnistus - Kaikki versot, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39235

Text: Pinkka: BIO-503 Suomen kasvisto ja kasvillisuus - Itämeri: ruovikkorannat, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39235

Text: Pinkka: A Pohjolan kasveja - Abies-Allium, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.39235

Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karhunputki

See also