Top 10 Poisonous Plants
Aconitum -- wolf's bane
Aconitum — wolf’s bane
“Pet poisonous” – Toxic to Dogs
Aconitum, also known as wolf’s-bane, is a genus of over 250 species of flowering plants belonging to the family Ranunculaceae.
These herbaceous perennial plants are chiefly native to the mountainous parts of the Northern Hemisphere, growing in the moisture-retentive but well-draining soils of mountain meadows.
Most species are extremely poisonous and must be dealt with very carefully.
The dark green leaves of Aconitum species lack stipules. They are deeply palmately lobed with five to seven segments. Each segment again is trilobed with coarse sharp teeth. The leaves have a spiral (alternate) arrangement. The lower leaves have long petioles.
They are distinguishable by having one of the five petaloid sepals (the posterior one), called the galea, in the form of a cylindrical helmet, hence the English name monkshood. Two to 10 petals are present. The two upper petals are large and are placed under the hood of the calyx and are supported on long stalks. They have a hollow spur at their apex, containing the nectar. The other petals are small and scale-like or nonforming. The three to five carpels are partially fused at the base.
The fruit is an aggregate of follicles, a follicle being a dry, many-seeded structure.
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