amazing Apiaceae (the umbellifers)

[Tim Ingram]

Trond - Angelica sylvestris isn't seen too much in gardens, much less than the culinary A. archangelica, but has sported to produce deep purple leaved forms like Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing'. Rather stunning specimens, but because they are biennial they come and go and don't self-seed with the freedom of cow parsley.

Cohan - will be interested to know how you get on with the Cymopterus - so far I have germinated quite a number but not managed to grow them on well. I think they need the same treatment as many bulbs - so really summer dry as they aestivate naturally. The smaller species are the most striking but the larger probably the ones easiest to grow. Are they grown at Denver at all I wonder?

Lori - if I have my own seed I sow it in the autumn and usually get good germination the following spring. I think the oily nature of the seed tends to make it more hydrophobic as it dries out and older seed can be really slow and difficult to come up, if at all. Late sown seed I often put in the fridge for 4 to 6 weeks and this has been quite good for Lomatium and Cymopterus, in fact they sometimes begin to germinate in the fridge as I have also found with Eriogonum. I am aiming to write something on the family so really want to learn a lot more about the American species.

[Hoy]

Trond - Angelica sylvestris isn't seen too much in gardens, much less than the culinary A. archangelica, but has sported to produce deep purple leaved forms like Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing'. Rather stunning specimens, but because they are biennial they come and go and don't self-seed with the freedom of cow parsley.

Tim, I haven't planted A sylvestris but I haven't removed it either

Both A sylvestris and archangelica are native here and archangelica is a weed. I remove hundreds every year but let some grow as they are important for some butterfly caterpillars and the plant belongs to the shore.
Purple leaved forms had been interesting though!

[cohan]

Is Angelica sylvestris then the same as Anthriscus sylvestris?
Anthriscus sylvestris Ravenswing is not that large here yet, but assuming I get flowers and seeds, I'll have to make sure to replant some on purpose!

The Cymopterus I have was, I think, sown in 2010, though I think I was too late in spring to get adequate cold stratification, and they germinated last year.. still in the pot and still very tiny.. if I get the bed intended for dryland North Americans finished soon enough (working in that general area- building the alpine stretch now, then a sort of steppe area in front of it) I will plant them out this year..
Can't say I have any great insight to special treatment for them, other than that they will get a highly drained area, and the overall design will hopefully create a bit of a heat sink... Our greatest precip is usually from late May or early June until early to mid July, so time will tell how dry summer plants will do here! I'm hoping our generally cool spring/early summer will be the growing period for that sort of plant and they wont mind the moisture then.... a long hot dry summer is not going to happen here, at least not in recent years' patterns!

[Hoy]

No, Angelica sylvestris and Anthriscus sylvestris are two different plants. They all (including Angelica archangelica) grow here and are a bit weedy.

Another umbellifer here, and much more refined and elegant, is the annual Torilis japonica (it is native despite the epithet).

[stephenb]

There's also the variegated Angelica archangelica 'Corinne Tremaine'. Anyone had successs with that one? I've sown seed twice, but the resultant plants have been very weak and haven't survived.

We also have an heirloom Angelica archangelica ssp archangelica v. Majorum, Voss Angelica, a traditional cultivated selection with filled (solid) leaf stalks. You can read about it here: http://www.skogoglandskap.no/filearchive/angelica_fossaa.pdf

Re-Cymopterus - I bought several species from Alplains this year but I was probably also a bit late like Cohan and only one seedling has appeared so far...

[Tim Ingram]

Truth be known quite a number of umbels are weedy!! But they can be very beautiful, like Selinum wallichianum from the Himalayas, which flowers later into the summer and has the most fine foliage of all, or very different, like Thapsia maxima (below) from the south-west Mediterranean. The most extraordinary must be the eryngiums - this one, bourgatii, is widely grown but also very free seeding. The larger colouring flowers with long spiky bracts are actually on a single plant that grew earlier than the rest and could be an interesting variant. I have this planted in a bulb bed which it effectively takes over after the bulbs have flowered and are dying down - I am trying to weed it out of more alpine areas!

[Lori S.]

Nice, Tim. 

Here's Eryngium alpinum in bud:

[Tim Ingram]

I'm very envious Lori because I've never been able to grow alpinum very well and you really don't see it in gardens so much. Those bracts are wonderfully dissected and quite soft compared to most eryngos.

[RickR]

I liked the foliage of Eryngium bourgatii better than the flowers when I grew it.  Doesn't seem to be very zone 4 winter hardy.  They only lasted two or three seasons from seed.

        

Eryngium amethystinum has flowers nearing full size, but haven't turned color yet.

[Lori S.]

I've had something I've been referring to as Eryngium x zabellii for many years now... I'm sort of wondering if it may not be E. bourgatii - I'll have to pay closer attention to it this year.
Love that Bupleurum longifolium, Trond!
It's disappointing that a couple of Angelica sp. used to generally be available as potted plants around here but not so for the last few years.  I was hoping to find one at a nursery to fill some of the big gaps left by shrub removal.
Tim, your mention of Selinum reminds me that I did grow Selinum tenuifolium for a few years; it never did bloom, oddly enough, but I did enjoy the foliage.  I must try these again.
Interesting thread... I'm realizing that many plants that I would not have suspected to be, are actually umbellifers!

Astrantia major:


Astrantia carniolica 'Rubra'... or so it is supposed to be - I was just reading recently that this is supposed to be a dwarf astrantia, and my plants certainly are not!

[stephenb]

Tim: I remember being struck by Selinum wallichianum the first time I saw it in the botanical garden in Århus, Denmark, but it hasn't found a permanent place in my garden as it isn't edible enough.  

Heracleums are so common that we tend to ignore them, but they are attractive plants if we care to look!  I've also grown Heracleum sphondylium "Hoggin' the Limelight", a yellow leaved form, but it died on me. I'd also like to get hold of Heracleum maximum "Washington Limes".

[stephenb]

Angelica sylvestris "Vicar's Mead" and Angelica atropurpurea.

[Hoy]

Stephen,
does Vicar's Mead come true from seed and stay pink? I have often noticed pink coloration on newly emerged umbels but they always fade to white.

[cohan]

I didnt realise Astrantias and Eryngiums were umbellifers- interesting! Still love the purple Angelicas- and quite lovely foliage on the Selinums as well...

One of my favourite of the natives is the very delicate Cicuta bulbifera -bulbous water hemlock.. I thought perhaps it was inappropriate to cultivate it, but then as long as I'm not mixing it with water parsnips, I don't see an issue  - I don't think twice about growing other poisonous plants such as Zigadenus.. Maybe I will collect some bulbils this year..

[stephenb]

Stephen,
does Vicar's Mead come true from seed and stay pink? I have often noticed pink coloration on newly emerged umbels but they always fade to white.

I've only gown it once (from NARGS seed). As far as I remember it remained pink throughout and also seemed to be a lower more compact plant than the wild plant, one of which is seen below. I think the reason I didn't grow it again is that the seed didn't mature - I had the plant on the north side of my house - it might have benefitted from a sunnier location.