Angelica (Angelica officinalis) is a European biennial plant of the parsley family, sometimes grown in this country as a culinary herb and known commonly as garden angelica. The fresh stems and leafstalks are used as a garnish and for making a candied confection. The seeds and the oil distilled from them are employed in flavoring, and the aromatic roots are sometimes used in medicine.

Angelica thrives best in a moderately cool climate and may be grown in any good soil, although a deep, fairly rich loam which is moist but well drained will give the best results. The soil should be deeply plowed and well prepared before planting. The plant is most readily propagated from divisions of old roots, which may be set either in the fall or spring about 18 inches apart in rows. The seeds germinate very poorly if more than one year old, and it is best to sow them as soon as they are ripe in a seed bed, which should be kept moist by frequent watering if necessary. Early in the following spring the seedlings are transplanted and set about 2 feet apart each way in their permanent location. Plants may also be obtained from seeds sown in March in a spent hotbed or in a cold frame. In order to increase the root development, the plants are often transplanted a second time, at the end of the first year's growth, and set 3 or 4 feet apart. For the same reason the tops are often cut back to prevent the formation of seed. During the growing seasons the soil should be kept mellow and free from weeds by frequent cultivation.

The roots are usually harvested in the fall of the second year, but sometimes those of the first-year plants are marketed. After being dug, the roots are washed and dried in the open air. In order to keep out insects and to preserve the aroma it is best to store the dried root in tin containers which can be tightly closed. The root of the European or garden angelica found in our drug markets is imported largely from Germany. During the past few years the wholesale price has averaged about 20 cents a pound.

The root of a native species of angelica (Angelica atropurpurea), commonly called American angelica, also occurs in the drug markets of this country. It is collected from wild plants, and the price to collectors in former years usually ranged from 6 to 10 cents a pound. The prices in June, 1920, were for the seed 20 cents and for the root 14 cents a pound.