1-6-2011 Angelic stems

We photographed this angelica plant growing wild in the countryside of southern Iceland where it grows prolifically.

Some interesting facts about Icelandic Angelica

• It is one of the few plants in Iceland that survived the last ice age and has been used in Iceland for 1100 years.
• It was used as currency by the Vikings.
• It is named after an archangel and therefore often called "The Angel's Herb".
• It was so valuable in medieval times that Iceland's first law book specifically banned angelica theft.
• It is a relative of the ginseng plant and is sometimes called "The Ginseng of the North".