Aconitum

Aconite [æ′kənait]

Aconitum, common name monkshood and wolfsbane is a group of attractive yet highly poison plants in the crowfoot family. They are native to the northern hemisphere with numerous species distributed throughout the United States and Canada.

Poison resides in the roots and occasionally the flowers. The chemical produced from Aconitum napellus, the European monkshood is a powerful analgesic and diaphoretic drug, used under controlled conditions because it is fatal in large dose. Many species of aconite are cultivated for perennials by gardeners for their appealing tall stalks of helmet-shaped flowers which are varied between blue, yellow, white and occasionally bi-colored.

Taxonomic Hierarchy
Kingdom	Plantae – Vegetal, plants
Subkingdom	Viridaeplantae – green plants
Infrakingdom	Streptophyta – land plants
Division	Tracheophyta – vascular plants, tracheophytes
Subdivision	Spermatophytina – spermatophytes, seed plants
Infradivision	Angiospermae – flowering plants, angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida
Superorder	Ranunculanae
Order	Ranunculales
Family	Ranunculaceae – buttercups, boutons d'or, crowfoot
Genus	Aconitum L. – monkshood, aconite, wolfsbane
Direct Children:
Species	Aconitum anthora L. – yellow monkshood
Species	Aconitum X bicolor Schult. (pro. sp.) – twocolor monkshood
Species	Aconitum carmichaelii Debeaux – Carmichael's monkshood
Species	Aconitum columbianum Nutt. – Columbian monkshood
Species	Aconitum delphiniifolium DC.
Species	Aconitum ferox Wall. ex Ser. – Indian aconite
Species	Aconitum fischeri Rchb. – Fischer monkshood
Species	Aconitum lycoctonum L.
Species	Aconitum maximum Pall. ex DC. – Kamchatka aconite
Species	Aconitum napellus L. – Venus' chariot
Species	Aconitum reclinatum A. Gray – trailing white monkshood
Species	Aconitum uncinatum L. – southern blue monkshood
Species	Aconitum variegatum L. – Manchurian monkshood

References and Further Reading

Aconitum L., Taxonomic Serial No.: 18411

Collier's Encyclopedia, ©1960