''Aconitum columbianum'' is a species of flowering plant in the

buttercup family Ranunculaceae (, buttercup or crowfoot family; Latin "little frog", from "frog") is a family of over 2,000 known species of flowering plants in 43 genera, distributed worldwide. The largest genera are ''Ranunculus'' (600 species), ''Delphinium ...

known by the common names Columbian monkshood or western monkshood. This wildflower is native to western North America where it grows in riparian and other moist areas, in meadows and coniferous forests. It is found from in elevation.

Description

''Aconitum columbianum'' is an

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

that grows from a large tuber-like root with a spindle shape. The stems can be from 20-300 centimeters tall and be either erect or trailing. The leaves that are attached to the stems have as many as 7 deep divisions almost reaching the base of the leaf, but most often 3–5 divisions. There are most often about 2 millimeters of leaf tissue between the stem attachment to the leaf and the deepest point of each leaf division. The

edges Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), also known as 2.75G and under various other names, is a 2G digital mobile phone technology for packet switched data transmission. It is a subset of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) on the GS ...

of each leaf segment are toothed or cleft. Each leaf is 5–15 centimeters wide. The flowering stem can either be a single stem without branches and multiple flowers called a

raceme A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate growth, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are ...

or a branched

panicle In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...

. The flowers are most often blue, but can occasionally be white, cream colored, or white with a blush of blue at the margins of the

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s. The flowers are variable in size and can measure from 18–55 mm from the top of the upright "hood" sepal to the tips of the two downward pointing sepals. The two hanging (

pendulous This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...

) sepals measure 6–16 mm. The prominent hood varies in shape from being rounded to conical or even more of a crescent shape and measures 10–34 mm from the base where it inserts into the supporting stem to the top of the hood. The fruits are dry pod-like follicles, 10–20 mm long. Like other monkshoods (''Aconitum'' species), this plant is poisonous to humans and livestock, although some species have been used to make drugs.

Taxonomy

''Aconitum columbianum'' was first scientifically described by

Thomas Nuttall Thomas Nuttall (5 January 1786 – 10 September 1859) was an English botanist and zoologist who lived and worked in America from 1808 until 1841. Nuttall was born in the village of Long Preston, near Settle in the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

in 1838 in ''A flora of North America'' by Torrey and Gray. It was described from specimens collected from "springy places on the Oregon, below Wallawallah".

Subspecies

Two subspecies or varieties are recognized by

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

(POWO) as of 2023: *''Aconitum columbianum'' var. ''columbianum'' *''Aconitum columbianum'' var. ''howellii'' (A.Nelson & J.F.Macbr.) C.L.Hitchc. One other subspecies, ''Aconitum columbianum'' ssp. ''viviparum'', is recognized by some botanists or botanical organizations such as Gilkey and Dennis in the ''Handbook of Northwestern Plants'', the USDA

Natural Resources Conservation Service Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides technical assistance to farmers and other private landowners and ...

PLANTS database (PLANTS), and the ''

Flora of North America The ''Flora of North America North of Mexico'' (usually referred to as ''FNA'') is a multivolume work describing the native plants and naturalized plants of North America, including the United States, Canada, St. Pierre and Miquelon, and Greenla ...

'' (FNA). ''Aconitum columbianum'' ssp. ''viviparum'' differs from the

nominate subspecies In biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. ...

, ''A. columbianum'' var. ''columbianum'', in having

bulbil A bulbil (also referred to as a bulbel, bulblet, and/or pup) is a small, young plant that is reproduced vegetatively from axillary buds on the parent plant's stem or in place of a flower on an inflorescence. These young plants are clones of the p ...

s where the leaf stems meet the main stem of the plant (in the leaf

axil A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, fl ...

s) and sometimes in place of flowers.

Range and habitat

''Aconitum columbianum'' grows throughout the western United States, from the west coast through the Rocky Mountains. In addition, it is also found in parts of British Columbia and South Dakota. It is also reported to grow in Iowa, Wisconsin, New York, and the Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua. In 2016,

NatureServe NatureServe, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Arlington County, Virginia, United States, US, that provides proprietary wildlife conservation-related data, tools, and services to private and government clients, partner organizations, and ...

evaluated ''Aconitum columbianum'' as globally secure (G5). In addition it is evaluated by them as vulnerable at the state level (S3) in Wyoming.

Cultivation

Western monkshood is occasionally grown in gardens for its dramatic dark purple-blue blossoms. It requires a moist and rich soil as well as shade in all but the gentlest of climates.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment of ''Aconitum columbianum''CalFlora Database: ''Aconitum columbianum''''Aconitum columbianum'' — U.C. Photo gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1943418 columbianum Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of British Columbia Flora of Chihuahua (state) Flora of Iowa Flora of New Mexico Flora of Ohio Flora of New York (state) Flora of Sonora Flora of South Dakota Flora of Wisconsin Plants described in 1838