Angelica genuflexa aka Kneeling Angelica

Angelica genuflexa also goes by the name kneeling angelica. It belongs to Apiaceae, the carrot family. This perennial plant comes from lands with a temperate climate. Its range spans the Russian Far East, Korea, and Japan. In North America, its range starts at the Aleutian Islands. It reaches as far south as northwestern California. Records also place it in British Columbia and western Alberta. It is not native to Britain or Ireland. It grows in damp sites, including forests in northern China.

Plants reach about 3.3 feet [1 metre] in height. Their hollow stems have several known uses. Each flower has both male and female organs. Insects pollinate the flowers. The plant can also use its own pollen to set seed. The sources give no flower colour or bloom season for this species. They give no details about its fruit or leaf shape. These gaps limit what we can say about the plant.

Plants For A Future says it prefers moist soil. It can grow in sand, loam, and clay. Its listed soil pH range spans mild acid to mild alkaline. It grows in light shade or full sun. Woodland edges fit these needs as a place to grow. The source says the plant can cope with frost. It gives no firm hardiness zone for Britain. Its fuller growing notes cover the genus, not this species. Those notes thus give less sure guidance for this plant.

Records describe young leaves as cooked food and a flavouring. People have also peeled young stems and eaten them raw. The seeds serve as a flavouring too. Plants For A Future rates its food value two out of five. The source lists past use of root mixtures as purgatives, to purge the bowels. It also notes past use for headaches and eye complaints. These past uses do not prove that treatment is safe. The sources give no safety review for this species.

People have used the hollow stems as straws and whistles. They have made pots from them to gather spruce pitch. Records also note their use as breathing tubes under water. Indigenous North Americans used leaf juice to hide body scent. Plants For A Future reports no weed potential. It says to sow fresh seed before it loses its ability to sprout. The seeds need light to sprout. You can sow in spring, but fewer seeds may sprout.