''Aconitum tauricum'' 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' ...

.The Plant List (KEW)
''Aconitum tauricum''
(2018-05-03) Some sources declare it as a

subspecies In biological classification, 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. Not all species ...

of ''

Aconitum napellus ''Aconitum napellus'', monkshood, aconite, Venus' chariot or wolfsbane, is a species of highly toxic flowering plant in the genus ''Aconitum'' of the family Ranunculaceae, native and endemic to western and central Europe. It is an herbaceous pere ...

'' under the name ''Aconitum napellus subsp. tauricum''.

Distribution

This wildflower is native to Europe (

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

).Kew Science
''Aconitum tauricum''
(2018-05-03) where it grows in alpine and subalpine areas. Inhabited biotops include meadows and tall herbaceous vegetation.

Description

''Aconitum tauricum'' is a tall spindly erect to scandent forb which is perennial from rhizomes. Rhizomes are not globose. It has divided leaves with faintly visible net-like leaf veins on the underside (stem leafes). The flowering period extends primarily from August to October. The inflorescence is paniculate and simple or branched with a few side risps. The perigon is blue or purple. The helmet is usually wider than high. The tepals are bare on the outside. The flower stems have upright gland hairs, are bare or possess only underneath the flower protruding glandular hairs. The linear bracteoles are bald or hairy and measure 3 to 7, rarely 2 mm. The nectar leaves may be bald or hairy. The plant reaches a stature height of about 0,8 m. The pollination is done by insects ('' Bombus spec.'' and others). The fruits are pod-like follicles, ripe seeds are black.Jäger et al.: ''Rothmaler - Exkursionsflora von Deutschland'', Bd. 2. Aufl. 20, Spektrum akadem. Verlag. ''Aconitum tauricum'' is poisonous due to the presence of

alkaloids Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar st ...

like aconitine.

References

External links

tauricum {{Ranunculales-stub