Can anyone tell me what an archangel mat is? I ran across the term in a British gardening book published in the early 1950s: the way the author wrote, it seems that by that time they were already becoming uncommon. They were recommended for covering cold frames in severe weather. Is the term an old generic term for some sort of floor mat? Jim McKenney Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where the weather report sounds ominous - again.