A beautiful but deadly poisonous common plant that can poison by touch but this does not seem to cause fatal toxicity.
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Monkshood
Monkshood
| Hedgerow Type | |
| Common Names | Old Wives Hood, Soldiers Helmet, Dogs Bane, Devils Hood |
| Scientific Name | Aconitum napellus |
| Season Start | Mar |
| Season End | Oct |
Please note that each and every hedgerow item you come across may vary in appearance to these photos.
Leaves
The dark green leaves are deeply palmately lobed, with five to seven angular segments with sharp lobes coming from these.
Flowers
Blue, purple, pink, white or yellow flowers with one of the petals enlarging and becoming a ‘hood’.
Seed Pods
Has erect finger like green seed pods.
Stem
A tall and erect stem with fine hairs, often reaching above two metres in height.
Habitat
Likes wet but well drained soil and can be found in gardens, woods and ditches.
Smell
Faint.
Frequency
Reasonably common.
Other Facts
It has been reported that the poison can affect humans just by contact, but this usually causes paraesthesia or headaches rather than severe toxicity.
Has been used in various places around the world as a poison for arrow tips for both hunting and warfare.
