Aconitum vulparia

Tilcayo Cats original · Plants · Sources and editorial assessment · Originals retention rule

Aconitum vulparia is a perennial flowering plant in the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, with pale yellow, hooded flowers. Kew accepts it as a species native to western and southern Europe and records it as introduced in Great Britain.

Appearance

The western Mediterranean virtual herbarium describes a herb reaching about one metre tall. Its flowers have five pale yellow, petal-like segments: the upper one forms a tall hood, the two side segments lie partly beneath it, and the lower two are smaller. The tall, narrow hood helps distinguish it from the yellow-flowered Aconitum anthora; A. napellus differs in flower colour.

Cambridge University Botanic Garden describes cultivated plants reaching about one and a half metres, with glossy, lobed leaves and numerous flowers in summer. Well-grown plants may lean or scramble through neighbouring vegetation. The garden identifies Aconitum as a highly poisonous genus.

Habitat

The Mediterranean flora records the species in tall-herb communities, moist mountain grasslands and openings or edges of damp woodland. In cultivation, Cambridge associates vigorous growth with moist, humus-rich soil and partial shade. Garden requirements are distinct from a survey of its habitats across Europe.

Classification

Some treatments place this plant within Aconitum lycoctonum. Kew lists A. lycoctonum subsp. vulparia as a synonym of A. vulparia, while accepting A. vulparia at species rank. This synonymy concerns the subspecies name; it does not mean that every plant called A. lycoctonum belongs to this species.