Aconitum carmichaelii
| Aconitum carmichaelii | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 5' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer-Early Fall |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Aconitum carmichaelii (common name: japanese aconite)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[1]. The seed can be stratified and sown in spring but will then be slow to germinate[2]. 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[3][1]. 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[4].
Cultivation: Thrives in most soils and in the light shade of trees[3]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a moist soil in sun or semi-shade[5]. Plants will only thrive in a sunny position if the soil remains moist throughout the growing season[6]. Prefers a calcareous soil.
A very ornamental plant[4], there are some named forms[6]. It grows well in open woodlands[3][7].
Members of this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits and deer[4].
A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby species, especially legumes[8].
Closely related to A. fischeri and considered to be part of that species by some botanists[3].
Range: E. Asia - C. and W. China to N. America.
Habitat: Forest margins, scrub, grassy slopes and mountains at elevations of 100 - 2200 metres[9].
Medicinal: A widely used herbal remedy in China, where it is cultivated for its root[10]. This is harvested in the autumn as the plant dies down and is then dried before being used. The root is anaesthetic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, cardiotonic, stimulant and vasodilator[11][10][6]. It is used in the treatment of shock and collapse, chronic diseases with symptoms of cold, gastralgia and rheumatic arthralgia, oedema and diarrhoea due to hypofunction of the spleen and kidney[11]. Use with great caution, the plant is very poisonous and should not be used internally[10] unless under the direction of a qualified practitioner[6]. Overdoses lead to numbness of the tongue, lips and extremities, nausea, vomiting, irritability and coma[11].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Known Hazards: The whole plant is highly toxic - simple skin contact has caused numbness in some people[3][6].
Also Known As: A carmichaeli wilsonii. A. fischeri. Forbes.&Hemsl. non Rchb.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sanders, Thomas. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge, 1926.
- ↑ Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan, 1987.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Hatfield, Audrey. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd, 1974.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.