365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Monkshood, Aconitum Columbianum
Day 281: When it grows among the subalpine Larkspurs featured in yesterday's post, Aconitum columbianum is easily dismissed as a member of the same species, dwarfed as it may be by the stresses of life in the higher elevations. However, its color tends to lean more toward indigo or purple as opposed to the rich blue of Larkspur, and when viewed in profile, the helmeted cap of the flower quickly identifies it. Aconitum columbianum goes by several common names including the descriptive "Monkshood" as some readers may remember from Severus Snape's reproach of an inattentive Harry Potter, "As for monkshood and wolfbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?" To that I say, "Well? Why aren't you? And while you're at it, make a note that all parts of the plant are highly poisonous."
Labels:
Aconitum columbianum,
Chinook Pass,
Monkshood,
MORA,
poisonous plants,
Tipsoo,
wolfbane
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