Lyall's Angelica

Angelica arguta Nutt. ; T. & G. Fl. N. Am. 1 : 620. 1840
Angelica Lyallii S. Wats. Proc. Am. Acad. 17: 374. 1882. Angelica Piperi Rydb. Fl. Rocky Mts. 631. 1917.
Stout, 5-20 dm. high, the foliage and inflorescence glabrous to scaberulous; leaves ovate to orbicular in general outline, excluding the petioles 1.5-3 dm. long, 1.5-2 dm. broad, bipinnate or ternate-pinnate or rarely simply pinnate, the leaflets ovate to lanceolate, acute, sessile or petiolulate, 5-15 cm. long, 2-5 cm. broad, spinulose-serrate; petioles 1-3 cm. long, sheathing at the base; cauline leaves similar, reduced upwards, with dilated sheaths, the uppermost often bladeless, the uppermost petioles wholly sheathing; peduncles stout, 8-25 cm. long; involucre wanting; involucel wanting or occasionally of a few filiform bractlets; rays numerous, 18-45, spreading-ascending, subequal, 1-8 cm. long, webbed; pedicels 2-10 mm. long, spreadingascending, conspicuously webbed; flowers white or pinkish, the petals obovate, glabrous; ovaries glabrous; stylopodium low-conic; fruit oval to orbicular or obovoid, 4-7 mm. long, 4-5 mm. broad, glabrous, the dorsal ribs narrowly winged, the lateral broader than the dorsal and about equaling the body ; oil-tubes solitary in the intervals, several on the commissure ; seed-face plane.
Type locality: "Wappatoo Island. Oregon, and near Fort Vancouver, Washington." NtMall. Distribution: Alberta to Montana and Wyoming, west to British Columbia, south to Utah and northern California (Leiberg 1333, Thompson 7736, Nelson b° Nelson 6579).

Angelica arguta is a species of angelica known as Lyall's angelica. It is native to western North America, where it grows in coniferous forests from British Columbia to Utah. This is a taprooted perennial herb growing an erect, hollow stem to heights between one and two meters. It produces large, somewhat triangular leaves made up of many toothed, pointed leaflets each up to 9 centimeters long. The top of the stout stem is occupied by an inflorescence in a compound umbel arrangement, with the webbed rays of the umbel up to 10 centimeters long each. The flowers are generally yellowish.

The roots have been used medicinally for colds, sore throats or cramps. Beetles pollinate the flowers.