Aconitum volubile
| Aconitum volubile | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 2 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 7' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer-Mid Fall |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Aconitum volubile
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. This species is easier from seed than most members of the genus[3].
Division - best done in spring but it can also be done in autumn[4][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[5].
Cultivation: Thrives in most soils and in the light shade of trees[4], climbing through dwarf shrubs[3]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a moist soil in sun or semi-shade[6]. Prefers a calcareous soil.
There is some confusion over the naming of this species. A. volubilis comes from Altai in Mongolia, reports for A. volubile in Korea probably refer to A. neotortuosum[4].
Grows well in open woodlands[7]. A climbing plant, twining around supports[8].
Members of this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits and deer[5].
A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby species, especially legumes[9].
Range: E. Asia - W. China, Korea, Mongolia.
Habitat: Thickets in the sub-alpine zone to 4000 metres[3].
Edibility: Young leaves - dried and cooked[10]. This report should be treated with great distrust due to the poisonous nature of the genus[K].
Medicinal: The dried root is anaesthetic[11]. It is also used in the same ways as A. napellus, which means that it is anodyne, diaphoretic and diuretic[7]. This is a very poisonous plant and should only be used with extreme caution and under the supervision of a qualified practitioner.
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Known Hazards: The whole plant is highly toxic - simple skin contact has caused numbness in some people[4][6].
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 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Bulbs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Grey-Wilson, Christopher and Victoria Matthews. Gardening on Walls. Collins, 1983.
- ↑ Hatfield, Audrey. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd, 1974.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.