Aconitum palmatum

Aconitum palmatum belongs to the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. It is a perennial, a plant that lives for years. Kew gives its range as the Himalaya to Tibet and Myanmar. Plants For A Future lists Bhutan, Nepal, and parts of India. Those parts include Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, and Arunachal Pradesh. It grows in alpine sites within this broad range. Reports place it at about 9,840–16,400 feet [3,000–5,000 metres]. Kew puts it in a temperate climate zone.

Kew calls it a perennial or a tuberous geophyte. This means it may live on through a food store underground. The sources give no sound height or spread figures. They lack details for this species on leaves and stems. They give no such details on flowers or fruit either. Plants For A Future notes male and female organs in its flowers. Bees pollinate them. The source does not say which months they bloom. The RHS lists the name as unresolved. It also says the plant is not native to Britain or Ireland.

Plants For A Future lists moist soil for this species. Its summary lists sand, loam, and clay, even heavy clay. It lists mildly acid, neutral, and mildly alkaline soil too. The plant can grow in sun or part shade. The source places it in a woodland garden with dappled light. Yet its full growing notes draw on the wider genus. It says little is known about this species. It does not confirm that the plant is hardy in Britain. The sources give no basis for a firm hardiness zone.

The same source gives notes on sowing seed and dividing plants. It says to sow fresh seed in a cold frame. Spring sowing after stratification, a seed treatment, is an option. The seeds may take longer to sprout with this method. It says to shelter young plants through their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer. Its advice on when to divide plants varies. It lists spring, autumn, and late winter. The sources give no pest or disease account for this species.

The sources record no edible use; its food rating is zero. Plants For A Future reports past root use for rheumatism and diarrhoea. It also notes use as a tonic and for recurring fever. These reports do not prove that such uses help or are safe. Claims that the root has no poison carry a clear warning. The stronger poison warning applies to the genus as a whole. It does not rest on confirmed findings for this species. The sources thus do not show that this plant is safe to eat.