Angelica atropurpurea aka American Angelica

Angelica atropurpurea is a large plant that lives for years. It belongs to Apiaceae, the carrot family. People call it purple-stemmed angelica, great angelica, and Alexanders. It grows in eastern Canada and the eastern United States. Its range takes in Newfoundland and Minnesota. It extends south to North Carolina. Wild plants grow along streams and in swamps. They also grow in rich thickets and low-lying ground. These sites help explain why its soil must stay moist.

The plant grows upright and needs plenty of space. Garden accounts give heights of 3–10 feet (0.91–3.05 metres). Its spread can reach 6 feet (1.83 metres). The smooth stems have a dark purple hue or purple patches. Its large compound leaves split into smaller parts called leaflets. They divide into groups of three, twice or thrice. Each leaflet has an oval shape and a toothed edge. Tall stems and split leaves give borders a strong shape.

Small white or greenish-white flowers form large compound umbels. These are flower heads made up of smaller groups. The heads span 4–10 inches (10–25 centimetres). Missouri Botanical Garden gives bloom times of June to September. Chicago Botanic Garden lists a wider span, May through October. The heads form the main show of flowers above the leaves. Plants can grow from seed. They may also sow their own seeds where sites suit them. Cut off old flower heads to limit this spread.

Grow this plant in moist to wet soil. It accepts full sun or part shade. Missouri Botanical Garden says dappled shade may suit it best. This shade lets some sunlight through. It lists USDA hardiness zones 4–7 and calls care easy. The plant suits rain gardens, wet meadows, and pond edges. Stream banks and water gardens also meet its need for moisture. It can grow at border edges or in herb gardens. Soil in those sites must stay moist enough. Its resistance to deer adds value. Reports list no serious pest or disease problems.

Records note food uses for young shoots and leaf stalks. People eat them raw or cooked and can candy stems. They also candy roots and leaf stalks. Native Americans cooked young stems and leaf stalks as vegetables. Past herbal uses include leaf tea for colds and digestive complaints. These records do not prove that such uses are safe. Nor do they prove that these uses work. Plants For A Future warns that some compounds raise sunlight sensitivity. They can make skin more sensitive to sunlight. Contact may irritate skin. Edible uses do not mean the plant is harmless to handle.