8 
ANGELICA ARCHANGELICA. 
growing wild in England, particularly at Broadmoor near Birminghaai, 
and on the banks of the Thames near Woolwich ; but it is uncertain 
whether we can lay claim to it as an indigenous plant. Joann. Jacob, 
de Manliis, a writer of the fifteenth century, is the first author who 
describes it, and we suppose it is indebted to him for the heavenly 
name it bears. According to Gerarde it was known and cultivated 
in the middle of the sixteenth century. This species of Angelica 
must however be considered a native of the south, as well as the 
north of Europe ; since Spain and Bohemia are considered to 
produce it in the greatest perfection, and that which was brought 
from the former country was alone considered officinal. According 
to Linnaeus however it flourishes best among the mountains of the 
north ; he directs the roots to be dug, either early in the spring, or 
late in the autumn ; and it stands to reason that at these seasons it 
must be more impregnated with the sap and other juices of the 
plant. There are five species of Angelica, one of which, the 
Angelica Sylvestris, is indigenous. 
The root of Angelica is biennial, thick, fleshy, branched, and 
resinous : externally brown, white within ; the stem is erect, hollow, 
round, smooth, furrowed, of a purplish hue, rising upwards of five 
feet high, and sending oflf many branches which terminate in globu- 
lar many-rayed umbels, composed of dense, hemispherical umbellets ; 
the leaves are numerous, petiolated, large, pinnated; the leaflets 
are ovate, pointed, cleft, acutely serrated, smooth, somewhat de- 
current, and the terminal ones three-lobed ; the foot-stalks are 
membranous at their base, nerved, greatly dilated, and bellying ; 
the leaves and stalks are of a bright green colour ; the involucres 
are deciduous, linear, few in number, and sometimes altogether 
wanting ; the partial involucres are short, and consist of five linear, 
lance-shaped leaves ; the calyx is five-cleft, and very minute ; the 
corolla is small, of a greenish-white colour, and consists of five 
equal, lance-shaped petals, with the points turned inwards; the 
stamens are spreading, longer than the corolla, with roundish 
anthers ; the germen is inferior, ovate, supporting two short reflected 
styles, with obtuse stigmas ; the flowers are numerous, and grow in 
large terminal umbels ; the fruit is a kind of capsule, large, ellipti- 
cal, flat on one side, convex on the other» emarginate at both ends, 
with three acute ribs ; each capsule contains a single brown, pointed 
seed. 
Sensible Properties. Every part of the recent plant is 
fragrant and aromatic ; the taste sweetish at first, then aromatic, 
warm, and slightly bitter; the dried root is corrugated, and of a 
