Aconitum napellus

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Aconitum napellus 230705.jpg


Plant Characteristics
Habit   bulbous

Height: 5 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 5. to 6 ft"ft" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 6.
Width: 24 in"in" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 24. to 32 in"in" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 32.
Lifespan: perennial
Bloom: early summer, mid summer, late summer, early fall, mid fall, late fall
Cultivation
Exposure: sun, part-sun
Features: flowers
USDA Zones: 5 to 9
Flower features: blue, purple
Scientific Names

Ranunculaceae >

Aconitum >

napellus >


Aconitum napellus (Monkshood, "aconite", "Wolf's Bane", Fuzi, "Monk's Blood", or "Monk's Hood") is a species of Aconitum in the family Ranunculaceae, native and endemic to western and central Europe.

It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 1 m tall, with hairless stems and leaves. The leaves are rounded, 5–10 cm diameter, palmately divided into five to seven deeply lobed segments. The flowers are dark purple to bluish-purple, narrow oblong helmet-shaped, 1–2 cm tall.

Plants are grown in gardens in temperate zones for their spike-like inflorescences that are showy in early-mid summer and their attractive foliage. There are white and rose colored forms in cultivation too.


Read about Aconitum napellus in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Aconitum napellus, Linn. (A. tauricum, Jacq. A. pyramidale, Mill. A. inunctum, Koch). True Monkshood. Officinal Aconite. Fig. 111. The best known and most poisonous species, and used in medicine. Sts. erect, 3-4 ft.: lvs. divided to the base, and cleft 2-3 times into linear lobes: fls. blue, in a raceme; peduncles erect, pubescent; helmet broad and low, gaping, smoothish: fr. 3-4-celled. June, July.— Very many varieties, differing in shade of fls.. often mottled or lined with white. Var. album is nearly white. Var. bicolor and yar. versicolor, much used in gardens for the large blue and white fls. Reichenbach has divided this species into 20-30 species. A. Halleri is one of his divisions appearing in catalogues.CH


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Cultivation

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Propagation

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Pests and diseases

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Species

Nine subspecies are accepted by the Flora Europaea:

  • Aconitum napellus subsp. napellus. Southwest England.
  • Aconitum napellus subsp. corsicum (Gáyer) W.Seitz. Corsica.
  • Aconitum napellus subsp. firmum (Rchb.) Gáyer. Central and eastern Europe.
  • Aconitum napellus subsp. fissurae (Nyár.) W.Seitz. Balkans to southwest Russia.
  • Aconitum napellus subsp. hians (Rchb.) Gáyer. Central Europe.
  • Aconitum napellus subsp. lusitanicum Rouy. Southwest Europe.
  • Aconitum napellus subsp. superbum (Fritsch) W.Seitz. Western Balkans.
  • Aconitum napellus subsp. tauricum (Wulfen) Gáyer. Eastern Alps, southern Carpathians.
  • Aconitum napellus subsp. vulgare (DC.) Rouy & Foucaud. Alps, Pyrenees, northern Spain.

Plants native to Asia and North America formerly listed as A. napellus are now regarded as separate species.

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References

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