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Ranunculaceae FAMILY Vulnerable

Aconitum violaceum

Aconitum violaceum

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
1/5

Safety & Hazards

The whole plant is highly toxic - simple skin contact has caused numbness in some people[1, 2]. Another report suggests that the root of this species might not be toxic[3]. The aconites have been of interest since ancient times because they contain diterpene alkaloids that range from relatively nontoxic to deadly poisonous. In various parts of the world they have been used medicinally and as a source of poisons throughout history. The use of Aconitum alkaloids in modern Western medicine was largely discontinued by the late 1930's and early 1940's, though the roots are still widely used in traditional medicine, especially in Asia[4, PFAF].

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

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[2]. Prefers a calcareous soil. Grows well in open woodlands[1, 5]. All Aconitum species are prohibited for export in India if the plants have been collected from the wild. Cultivated specimens can be exported from India[6]. Members of this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits and deer[7]. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby species, especially legumes[8]. A polymorphic species[9].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[10]. The seed can be stratified and sown in spring but will then be slow to germinate[11]. 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, 10]. 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[7]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Aconitum+violaceum>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). — Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. · Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. · 1986 · ISBN - ↩︎Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
  4. [4]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
  5. [5]A Modern Herbal. — Grieve. · Penguin · 1984 · ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 ↩︎Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
  6. [6]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  7. [7]Perennial Garden Plants — Thomas. G. S. · J. M. Dent & Sons, London. · 1990 · ISBN 0 460 86048 8 ↩︎A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
  8. [8]How to Enjoy your Weeds. — Hatfield. A. W. · Frederick Muller Ltd · 1977 · ISBN 0-584-10141-4 ↩︎Interesting reading.
  9. [9]Flowers of the Himalayas. — Polunin. O. and Stainton. A. · Oxford Universtiy Press · 1984 · ISBN - ↩︎A very readable and good pocket guide (if you have a very large pocket!) to many of the wild plants in the Himalayas. Gives many examples of plant uses.
  10. [10]Popular Hardy Perennials. — Sanders. T. W. · Collingridge · 1926 · ISBN - ↩︎A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.
  11. [11]Growing from Seed. Volume 1. — Rice. G. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1987 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
  12. [12]Annals of the Royal Botanic Garden Vol.10 — Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta · 1905 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ ↩︎A botanical journal, this edition contains a treatment of the genera Dalbergia and Aconitum in Asia. Rather old, but a wealth of information, illustrations etc.
  13. [13]Simmons' Manual of Fruit. — Simmons A. E. · David & Charles; Newton Abbot. · 1978 · ISBN 0-7153-7607-1 ↩︎A good guide to some of the cultivars of temperate fruits. It covers quite a wide range of fruits.
  14. [14]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
  15. [15]Tibetan Medicinal Plants — Tsarong. Tsewang. J. · Tibetan Medical Publications, India · 1994 · ISBN 81-900489-0-2 ↩︎A nice little pocket guide to the subject with photographs of 95 species and brief comments on their uses.
  16. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎