1. Angelica venenosa (Greenway) Fernald (wood angelica, hairy angelica)

Pl. 203 a, b; Map 841

Plants perennial, with tuberous-thickened taproots. Stems 40–150 cm long, erect or ascending, glabrous. Leaves alternate and sometimes also basal (1 or 2 basal leaves sometimes present at flowering), glabrous, short- to long-petiolate, the sheathing bases not or only slightly inflated, the uppermost leaves sometimes reduced to bladeless, somewhat inflated sheaths. Leaf blades (4–)10–25 cm long, triangular-ovate in outline, pinnately or ternately then pinnately 2 or 3 times compound with distinct leaflets, these 15–50 mm long, mostly (except on the uppermost leaves) 10 mm or more wide, ovate or narrowly ovate to elliptic, occasionally with 1 or 2 basal lobes, narrowed or tapered at the base, narrowed to a blunt or sharp point at the tip, finely toothed along the margins. Inflorescences mostly terminal, compound umbels, long-stalked, the stalks moderately to densely short-hairy. Involucre absent. Rays 18 to numerous, 1–8 cm long, moderately to densely short-hairy. Involucel of several entire bractlets, these mostly slightly shorter than the flower stalks, linear, short-hairy. Flowers 8 to numerous in each umbellet, the stalks 2–10 mm long. Sepals absent or minute triangular teeth. Petals obovate, rounded at the tip, white. Ovaries short-hairy. Fruits 4–6 mm long, oblong-elliptic to broadly ovate-elliptic in outline, shallowly cordate at the base, flattened dorsally, sparsely to moderately short-hairy, dark brown with usually lighter ribs, each mericarp with the dorsal and intermediate ribs not or narrowly winged, the lateral ribs with broad, papery wings wider than the main body. 2n=22. May–July.

Scattered, mostly in the Ozark Division (eastern U.S. west to Minnesota and Arkansas). Mesic to dry upland forests, savannas, edges of prairies, and banks of streams and rivers.

Apparently, A. venenosa has not been tested phytochemically, although other species in the genus are known to contain furanocoumarins and related compounds similar to those found in Heracleum and may cause phototoxic dermatitis in some individuals. Steyermark (1963) also noted an anecdotal report in the historical literature (Greenway, 1793) of a boy in Virginia being poisoned by eating a small quantity of the root of this species. The symptoms described were similar to those reported for Conium poisoning, and perhaps the plant was misdetermined by the original author.