Angelica sylvestris - Wild Angelica

Favouring wet places, this plant is easy to spot - with large, convex, often pinkish umbels.

Tall (2m+) with pruinose, ridged, purplish stems. Basal eaves are 2-3 pinnate with the primary divisions long- stalked, but the leaflets sessile, ovate, cuspidate, and finely serrate, 1.5-8cm. The upper leaves have strongly inflated petioles which are shorter to absent. Hemispherical / domed umbels with 15-40 sub-equal rays. Rays and peduncles are both minutely hairy on the ridges. No bracts but 6-10 bracteoles. Flowers white or pinkish. Fruit ovate, dorsally compressed, glabrous, membranous wings 4-5mm.

The Garden Angelica Angelica archangelica (not pictured). Unusual in vc77, it is different from A. sylvestris mainly with green stem, glabrous peduncles, and greenish-white flowers. Leaves are bigger (15cm) and irregularly lobed and the fruit wings are thickened and corky.