Aconitum noveboracense, also known as northern blue monkshood or northern wild monkshood, is a flowering plant belonging to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). Members of its genus (Aconitum) are also known as wolfsbane. A. noveboracense is listed as a threatened species by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service government. The species can only be found in Iowa, Wisconsion, Ohio, and New York, and populations have been in decline since the 1980s. Only seven populations can be found in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. Most populations of the plant are found in northeastern Ohio, and portions of the "Driftless Area" located in northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin. Northern monkshood is noted for its very distinctive, blue hood-shaped flowers. The flowers are about 1 in in length, and a single stem may have many flowers. Stems range from about 1 to 4 ft in length. The leaves are broad with coarse, toothed lobes. Northern monkshood is a perennial and reproduces from both seed and small tubers. Self fertilization is usually not a viable means for reproduction in A. noveboracense. The flowers bloom between June and September and are pollinated when bumblebees pry open the blossom to collect nectar and pollen, and seeds are dispersed through water or gravity.

Causes of threatened status

Protection

Images