Identifying features - an overview
The following table gives you an initial overview of the most important defining characteristics of the different, easily confused umbelliferous plants. The most important distinguishing feature is the color of the flowers - in the real one Angelica the umbels are green, in all other plants white.
also read
- The ideal location for angelica is sunny and moist
- Angelica can be recognized by its typical "bitter smell"
- Plant and care for angelica
| height | root | Stalk | Foliage leaves | Petioles | blossom | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medicinal angelica | up to three meters | beet-shaped rhizome | round, weakly grooved and hollow | long-stalked, two to three-pinnate | round, hollow | hemispherical to spherical, green |
| Forest angelica | up to one and a half meters | rhizome | round, weakly grooved and hollow | Hairy underside, two to three pinnate | coagulates | hemispherical, white or pink |
| Water hemlock | up to one and a half meters | rhizome | hollow, finely grooved, spotted red below | two to three pinnate, gray-green underside, dark green upper side | ribbed | flat to hemispherical umbels, white |
| Giant hogweed | up to three meters | taproot up to 15 cm thick | hairy, dark to purple spotted, hollow | fingered | including leaves up to three meters long | plate-shaped, white |
Differentiation by smell
While giant hogweed and angelica are still relatively easy to distinguish from one another, it is not so easy to distinguish between the extremely poisonous hemlock and angelica. In addition to the color of the flowers, the specific smell of the plants can also be used to distinguish - while Angelica has a sweet, pleasant and reminiscent of a lean smell exudes (especially the stem!), the also very intense scent of the spotted hemlock is more reminiscent of mouse urine and is described as very unpleasant.
Tips
Because of the very high risk of confusion, laypeople are advised not to collect angelica in the wild. However, you can also use the medicinal plant cultivate in your own garden respectively. purchase the plant ingredients or essential oil from a pharmacy.
