Hooded aconite

Family Ranunculaceae. Native to Central and Southern Europe.

Hooded aconite up to 30-130 cm tall with erect stems forming a pyramidal bush up to 70 cm across. Leaves glossy, five- to seven-lobed, dark green, dense. Flowers up to 4 cm in diameter, blue-violet or whitish-blue, gathered in a dense raceme up to 10 cm long. Blooms from late June for 30-35 days. Fruits ripen in September. Overwinters without shelter.

In cultivation since 1551. Has a number of garden forms and cultivars:

'Bressineham Spire' - A tall (up to 1 m) plant with small raceme-like inflorescences of dark purple-blue flowers. Excellent for cutting and making bouquets.

'Newrv Blue' - flowers dark blue. Hardy without shelter.

'Carneum' - a garden form with pink-beige flowers.

'Eleonora' - a garden form with white flowers whose petal edges have a red edging.

'Rubellum' - a cultivated variant with pink flowers.

'Schneewitchen' - this plant has snow-white flowers.