The foliage is lush, dark green, and raggedly cut. The many members of the large Ranunculus (Buttercup) Family are in general excellent garden plants for colder regions such as the Cariboo-Chilcotin, and this unusual Monkshood is no exception, being hardy, attractive, and trouble free. The species name lycoctonum originates from the Greek: lycos = wolf, and kteinein = kill, which is the origin of the common name wolfsbane, as the roots were used to formulate arrow poisons, and were added to meat left out to bait wolves and foxes.

The places where the froth from CerebusвЂ™s maddened slavering fell to earth was thought to have been marked by these plants, which were notorious for their poisonous properties. Nearby is a caveВ which was said to house the entrance to Hades, which was famously guarded by the three-headed dog Cerebus. The genus name Aconitum is thought to come from the ancient Greek village of Akonai ,В the site of which is now in Turkey. It grows in high-shade forest, in meadows and by stream sides, and flowers in July and August. This somewhat variable species is native to Southern Europe, being found in the wild in France, Spain, Morocco, Northern Greece, Bulgaria and Romania. ranunculifolium (obsolete) it may also appear under the name A. lycoctonum is frequently thought to be synonymous with A. The Aconitums are in general a rather complex genus, with much natural adaptation and inter-species hybridization, so this species (or slight variations thereof) may appear under various names. A.k.a.В NORTHERN WOLFSBANE, FOXBANE, YELLOW MONKSHOOD.

Yellow wolfsbane