Angelica japonica

Angelica japonica is a splendid perennial, native to the sea coasts of central and southern Japan. This fascinating, summer-dormant umbellifer (member of the carrot family) has proven to be a great bold-textured garden specimen, forming an 18" tall x 3' wide basal rosette of glossy dark evergreen leaves. After a couple of years, the rosette is topped annually with a thick 5' tall spike of upright-facing large white umbels in mid-July (NC). After flowering, the clump goes dormant until late fall when it emerges and subsequently remains green through the winter. Deciduous shade to full sun are both great, but we really love the effect in winter under deciduous trees. Moist-to-average soils are fine. The foliage is foraged for food in Japan and extracts from the roots, which contain anti-proliferative furanocoumarin ethers, are used for cancer treatments.