About
Aconitum fischeri Rchb. is a perennial herb that forms dense clumps. It bears clusters of hooded flowers in a vivid purple-blue hue, which emerge during late summer and into autumn, atop stems reaching heights of up to 60 cm. The flowers rise above a backdrop of dark green, leathery leaves that are palmate and deeply lobed.
About the genus
Aconitum consists of herbaceous perennials or biennials characterized by lobed foliage and clusters of hooded flowers arranged in racemes or panicles.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil type
- Clay, Loam
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained, Well-drained
- Aspect
- East-facing, South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H7
Plant details
- Plant type
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.5-1 metres
- Spread
- 0.5-1 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden, Wildlife gardens
- Toxicity
- TOXIC if eaten, avoid skin contact. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets: TOXIC if eaten, avoid skin contact - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grows best in deep, cool, moisture-retentive soil in partial shade, but will also tolerate most soils and full sun if soil is humus-rich and protected with mulch to ensure that it is moist throughout the growing season; use protective gloves
- Pruning
- No pruning required except cutting back dead stems; use protective gloves
- Propagation
- Propagate by division in autumn or late winter; division every few years may encourage good flowering stems, though plants may be slow to re-establish; use protective gloves
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to aphids
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to fungal stem rot and Verticillium wilt