Angiosperms (Flowering Plants) • Earth.com

Aconitum plicatum plicatum

(Aconitum plicatum plicatum)

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Description

“Pet poisonous” – Toxic parts: roots, foliage and seeds Aconitum plicatum is a tall spindly erect to scandent forb which is perennial from rhizomes. It has divided leaves. The flowering period extends primarily from July to September. The inflorescence is paniculate and simple or branched with a few or many side risps. The perigon is blue or purple. The perigon is densely hairy on the outside and inside by crooked trichomes. The peduncle is hairy or bare. The bracteoles are linear to triangular and bare. The plant reaches a stature height between 0.3 and 1.5 m. The pollination is done by insects (Bombus spec. and others). The fruits are pod-like follicles. Aconitum plicatum is poisonous due the presence of alkaloids like aconitine. The dark green leaves of Aconitum species lack stipules. They are palmate or deeply palmately lobed with five to seven segments. Each segment again is trilobed with coarse sharp teeth. The leaves have a spiral (alternate) arrangement. The lower leaves have long petioles. The tall, erect stem is crowned by racemes of large blue, purple, white, yellow, or pink zygomorphic flowers with numerous stamens. They are distinguishable by having one of the five petaloid sepals (the posterior one), called the galea, in the form of a cylindrical helmet, hence the English name monkshood. Two to 10 petals are present. The two upper petals are large and are placed under the hood of the calyx and are supported on long stalks. They have a hollow spur at their apex, containing the nectar. The other petals are small and scale-like or nonforming. The three to five carpels are partially fused at the base.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum:
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order:Ranunculales
Family:Ranunculaceae
Genus:Aconitum
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