Aconitum

"Wolf's bane" redirects here. For other uses, see Wolfsbane (disambiguation).

Aconitum
Aconitum variegatum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Ranunculales
Family: Ranunculaceae
Subfamily: Ranunculoideae
Tribe: Delphinieae
Genus: Aconitum
L.
Subgenera[1]
  • Aconitum subgenus Aconitum
  • Aconitum subgenus Lycoctonum (DC.) Peterm.

for species see below

Aconitum (/ˌækəˈnaɪtəm/),[2] also known as aconite, monkshood, wolfsbane, leopard's bane, devil's helmet, or blue rocket,[3] is a genus of over 250 species of flowering plants belonging to the family Ranunculaceae. These herbaceous perennial plants are chiefly native to the mountainous parts of the Northern Hemisphere in North America, Europe, and Asia,[4] growing in the moisture-retentive but well-draining soils of mountain meadows.

Most Aconitum species are extremely poisonous and must be handled very carefully.[3][5] Several Aconitum hybrids, such as the Arendsii form of Aconitum carmichaelii, have won gardening awards—such as the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[6] Some are used by florists.[7]

  1. ^ Jabbour, Florian; Renner, Susanne S. (2012). "A phylogeny of Delphinieae (Ranunculaceae) shows that Aconitum is nested within Delphinium and that Late Miocene transition to long lifecycles in the Himalayas and Southwest China coincide with bursts in diversification". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 62 (3): 928–942. Bibcode:2012MolPE..62..928J. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.12.005. PMID 22182994.
  2. ^ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
  3. ^ a b "Aconite". Drugs.com. 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  4. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Aconite". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 151–152.
  5. ^ Hay, R. (Consultant Editor) second edition 1978. Reader's Digest Encyclopedia of Garden Plants and Flowers. The Reader's Digest Association Limited.
  6. ^ "Aconitum carmichaelii var arendsii". Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Cambridge University. 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  7. ^ Buchan, Ursula (25 June 2015). "How to grow: Monkshood". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 23 September 2019.