Phylum: Magnoliophyta - Class: Equisetopsida - Order: Ranunculales - Family: Ranunculaceae
Despite their large size, these upright perennial wildflowers can easily be missed because they tend to favour shaded riverside habitats. As with other 'monkshood'-like members of the buttercup family, all parts of Wolfsbane plants are poisonous.
The hooded flowers of Wolfsbane are creamy white and form one-sided racemes on stems that can reach 1.5 metres in height. The deeply-lobed (usually five to seven lobes) palmate leaves of Aconitum vulparia are very similar to those of many other members of the buttercup family.
Aconitum vulparia favours damp alkaline soils and often grows on shady tree-lined roadside verges and on wooded riverbanks.
The flowers of Wolfsbane can be seen between late May and the end of August.
The pictures shown on this page were taken in Slovenia during May and June.
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