2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Seeing the tall peduncles of a powerful ornamental plant in the neighboring area, do not rush to ask your neighbor to share the beauty. All parts of Aconite contain a poisonous alkaloid that is life-threatening
Legends and real life
According to ancient Greek legends, the origins of which are lost at least in the second millennium BC, the plant got its name in honor of the city of Akoni. The city was glorified by an underground monster with three heads, guarding the world of shadows and pulled by Hercules into the light of day. The sight accustomed to the dark could not stand the test of light and provoked vomiting in Cerberus (Cerberus). Since the underground inhabitant was saturated with poisons, the surroundings of the city were forced to recycle them, revealing a powerful and beautiful plant, all parts of which were saturated with the poison of the monster.
Over the past four millennia, the plant has not managed to get rid of a very poisonous alkaloid bearing the consonant name "aconitine", to which people have not yet invented an antidote. But man learned to use the unexpected gift of underground forces, using poison for rubbing hunting arrows that hit not only wild animals, but also their own kind. The ancient Romans and ancient Greeks administered justice with the help of this poison, treating those condemned to death with it.
Abdel Hakim Amer, a comrade-in-arms of the Egyptian presidents, Nasser and Sadat, voluntarily (according to the official version) passed away after unsuccessful coup d'etat attempts, choosing the poison "aconitine" as the weapon of death.
Even bees, sometimes collecting nectar from Aconite flowers, can die from poison. Although bumblebees are the only pollinators of Aconite. Without them, the plant remains without offspring.
Since any poison in small doses turns into a doctor, the plant is also used in medicine.
Rod Aconite
More than forty centuries spent on Earth, kind
Aconite (Aconitum) or
Fighter, as they call him in Russia, did not waste time, having acquired a large number of species, the number of which exceeds three hundred. These are decorative perennial herbaceous plants, distinguished by high peduncles with irregularly shaped flowers with a large helmet.
Aconite was nicknamed the Fighter for a reason. Its tuberous roots, or thin long roots intertwined into one strong taproot, show the world a powerful plant with beautiful dissected palm leaves and large spike-shaped inflorescences saturated with strong poison. The largest concentration of poison is found on the roots and leaves. Therefore, you should not plant Aconite close to vegetable beds and especially to beds with herbs, so as not to accidentally rip off a leaf of a plant for a salad for dinner.
Varieties
Fans of extreme sports plant some types of Aconite in their flower beds. Among them you can find:
* Aconite nodule (Aconitum napellus) is the most popular cultivated species with dark green carved large leaves and white, purple, or violet-white flowers on a sturdy stem up to one meter high.
* Aconite Karmikhel (Aconitum carmichaelii), also called
Aconite Fisher (Aconitum fischeri) - the surface of its dissected green leaves is glossy, and the flowers blooming in late summer are intense purple-blue.
* Aconite Wilson (Aconitum wilsonii) is a two-meter giant with bright purple-blue flowers.
Growing
If you decide to plant Aconite in your garden, keep in mind that it prefers partial shade, but it can grow in a sunny place.
It is not picky about soils, but it develops better on moderately moist loams, and therefore requires regular watering.
Easily tolerates any temperature, both low and high.
Reproduction
You can propagate with freshly harvested seeds, root tubers, or leaf sockets, remembering to wear protective gloves when planting a plant and fertilize the soil with mineral fertilizer.
Enemies
It would seem that a plant simply completely saturated with poison cannot have enemies. However, nature loves to surprise. The ubiquitous fungi easily attack the roots, leading to decay of both the roots and sturdy stems.
Aconite does not bypass rust, as well as all kinds of tenacious mites.
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