Bearded aconite

Family Ranunculaceae. Native range — southern Siberia, the northern part of Mongolia, northeastern China.

Perennial rhizomatous plant up to 120 cm tall. Flowers sulfur-yellow, gathered in racemose inflorescences up to 25 cm long. Blooms in July for 25–30 days. In cultivation since 1886.

Rhizome long, branched, formed of tightly fused cord-like tufts.

Stem erect, 50—120 cm tall, appressed-pubescent, less often almost glabrous, at the base together with the leaf petioles covered with curly, downward-directed hairs.

Leaves overall rounded or reniform, 6—13 cm long, 10—16 cm wide, with short hairs on the upper surface and longer hairs on the lower, palmately 3—5-parted to the base into segments, deeply divided into broadly or narrowly lanceolate toothed lobules. Basal leaves 2—3 in number on long petioles, stem leaves also 2—3.

Inflorescence — a simple raceme 8—25 cm long, sometimes branched in the lower part. Flowers sulfur-yellow, on short pedicels provided with two filiform bracteoles. Hood (galea) conic-cylindrical, 16—24 mm high, 2—3 mm at the upper part, 4—5 mm in the middle, 10—11 mm wide at the level of the beak. Lateral perianth segments broadly ovate, 8—10 mm long, 7—9 mm wide; lower perianth segments slightly unequal, 8—9 mm long, respectively 2—3 and 3—4 mm wide. Nectaries erect, with a short, almost globose spur, straight or slightly curved. Ovaries three, pubescent.

Leaflets three, pubescent. Seeds three-angled, with a single longitudinal membranous wing.