Angelica dahurica aka Dahurian Angelica

Angelica dahurica is in Apiaceae, the carrot family. Its names include Bai Zhi and Dahurican angelica. Kew gives its native range as southern Siberia to northern China and Japan. It grows in temperate lands, where the climate is mild. It is not native to Britain or Ireland. Wild plants grow in damp mountain sites and thickets. In China, they grow in grassy valleys and on stream banks. They also grow at woodland edges. These records show that it grows in several kinds of moist sites.

This herb can live as a biennial or perennial. These terms mean two years or more than two years. Kew lists it as perennial. Plants For A Future lists both forms. It grows to about 6 feet [1.8 metres] tall. The sources give no leaf or stem details for this species. It flowers from July to August. Each flower has both male and female organs. Insects carry pollen between flowers. The plant can also use its own pollen to form seeds. Seeds ripen from August to October, after the summer blooms.

Plants For A Future says it prefers moist soil. It grows in sand, loam, and clay. Soil can be slightly acid, neutral, or slightly alkaline. It can grow in sun or part shade. The source lists woodland gardens and shaded edges as places to grow it. It says the plant tolerates frost. Yet it gives no firm British hardiness rating. Its more detailed care notes draw on the genus, not this species. Those extra notes thus apply here with less certainty.

You can raise new plants from seed. Plants For A Future says to sow fresh seed. Seeds soon lose their power to sprout. Sow in a cold frame or where the plants will grow. You can sow in spring, but fewer seeds may sprout. Seeds need light to sprout. The source says to move young seedlings into their own pots once large enough. Keep them in a cold frame through their first winter. Plant them in their final sites the next spring.

Plants For A Future lists the cooked leaves as edible. Bai Zhi has a long history in Chinese herbal medicine. Past uses focus on the root. These include treatments for headaches, toothache, and nose complaints. These records show past uses, not proof that treatments work. The source warns against use as medicine during pregnancy. It also reports furocoumarins. These can make skin more sensitive to sunlight and cause dermatitis, or skin inflammation. Its weed review does not flag this species as weedy.