ANGELICA

angelica, a genus of plants of the natural order _umbelliferae_, represented in britain by one species, _a. sylvestris_, a tall perennial herb with large bipinnate leaves and large compound umbels of white or purple flowers. the name angelica is popularly given to a plant of an allied genus, _archangelica officinalis_, the tender shoots of which are used in making certain kinds of aromatic sweetmeats. _angelica balsam_ is obtained by extracting the roots with alcohol, evaporating and extracting the residue with ether. it is of a dark brown colour and contains angelica oil, angelica wax and angelicin, c_{18}_h_{30}_o. the essential oil of the roots of _angelica archangelica_ contains ß-terebangelene, c_{10}_h_{16}, and other terpenes; the oil of the seeds also contains ß-terebangelene, together with methylethylacetic acid and hydroxymyristic acid. the angelica tree is a member of the order _avaliaceae_, a species of _aralia (a. spinosa_), a native of north america; it grows 8 to 12 ft. high, has a simple prickle-bearing stem forming an umbrella-like head, and much divided leaves.