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Aconitum napellus
Cultivation Notes
This article was provided care of 'Plants For A Future'
| Latin Name: | Aconitum napellus |
| Common Name: | Aconite |
| Family: | Ranunculaceae |
| Synonyms: | |
| Known Hazards: | The whole plant is highly toxic, acting especially on the nerve centres. At first it stimulatesthe central and peripheral nervous system and then paralyzes it. Other symptoms of poisoning include a burning sensation on the tongue, vomitting, tomach pain and diarrhoea. Simple skin contact with the plant has caused numbness in some people[4, 7, 9, 10, 14, 19, 65, 76, 244]. The root contains 90% more poison than the leaves[232]. |
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Author: L.
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| Habit: Perennial |
| Habitat: Damp shady places and moist rich meadows in southern Wales and southwestern England[7, 13, 31, 165, 176]. It is usually found in calcareous soils[9]. |
| Height: 1.5 Width: 0.3 |
Cultivation Details:
Thrives in most soils and in the light shade of trees[1]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a moist soil in sun or semi-shade[200]. Plants only thrive in a sunny position if the soil remains moist throughout the growing season[238]. Prefers a calcareous soil. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.5 to 7.5.
Plants take 2 - 3 years to flower when grown from seed[244].
Grows well in open woodlands[1, 4].
The flowers are very attractive to bees[244].
Members of this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits and deer[233].
Although the plant is a perennial, individual roots only live for one year and die after flowering. Each root produces a number of 'daughter' roots before it dies and these can be used for propagating the plant[4].
A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby species, especially legumes[54].
An aggregate species which is divided by some botanists into many species[17, 76].
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Propagation Notes:
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[111]. The seed can be stratified and sown in spring but will then be slow to germinate[133]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer.
Division - best done in spring but it can also be done in autumn[1, 111]. Another report says that division is best carried out in the autumn or late winter because the plants come into growth very early in the year[233].
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