Autumn favourite: Aconitum

Posted:20 September 2010

The hooded, helmet-shaped flowers, which consist of sepals rather than petals, give aconitums the common name of monkshood. It is also known as wolfsbane, leopards bane, womens bane, Devils helmet or blue rocket – and is one of our favourite late-flowering herbaceous perennials.

Not only do we love its colour – various shades of purple and mauve, though it does also come in white forms – we also love its stature (1.5 to 2m or more!), adding a certain dramatic grandeur to the late summer border.

Aconitum are also highly poisonous, as to some degree are other members of the same buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) family larkspur, Delphinium and Aquilegia amongst others.

It is tolerant of some shade, and makes a great cut flower.