Aconitum 2008

[Hkind]

Oleg,

Does your Aconitum Arendsii always flower so late or just this year?

I had one more look at this thread and noticed Arisaema's image of Aconitum delphinifolium. I don't think the image gaves the right impression of the plant. It is a low species with good blue flowers. Here two images of Aconitum delphinifolium with A. ajanense side by side at the road between Magadan and Jakutsk.

And since nobody had an image of A barbatum, I add one of it on the western hillsides of lake Baikal.

[mickeymuc]

Wow, Hannelotte, thank you for the image of A. barbatum ! This one looks great and makes me look forward to what will come out of these tiny seedlings I have of this species (thanks to Kristl Walek, who sells seed of this species :-)

[olegKon]

Hannelotte,
Yes, all aconitums of the carmichaelii complex flower late enough (september - november). I recon it depends on summer. This summer was rather cold and very wet, so they are a bit later then usual. Some of them won't have a chance to flower this season (though in buds) becouse of night frosts. Thank you so much for wonderful pictures of your aconitums some of which I have never heard of or seen. Stunning!

[Hkind]

Kristl wrote: I received my alboviolaceum seed this year from an outside source---moist packed a bit, froze the remainder. Massive germination has occurred in the moist packed bag--so now I need to ponder whether the species I have previously had as this species was correct (as it did not germinate in moist packing), or whether this one is, or whether some other variable (time or collection, etc) has included the different behaviour.

Kristl,

Germination of Aconitum is a mysteri to me. Sometimes the seeds germinate quickly in room temperatures, sometimes after stratification and rather often not at all or after several years. That has - according to my experience - nothing to do with the species. Seed of the same species and even the same plant can behave in different ways. Maybe the differences are due to when the seed was colleted ?

Seed of two different collections of Aconitum alboviolaceum has germinated within two weeks in room temperature.

[Kristl Walek]

Kristl wrote: I received my alboviolaceum seed this year from an outside source---moist packed a bit, froze the remainder. Massive germination has occurred in the moist packed bag--so now I need to ponder whether the species I have previously had as this species was correct (as it did not germinate in moist packing), or whether this one is, or whether some other variable (time or collection, etc) has included the different behaviour.

Germination of Aconitum is a mysteri to me. Sometimes the seeds germinate quickly in room temperatures, sometimes after stratification and rather often not at all or after several years. That has - according to my experience - nothing to do with the species. Seed of the same species and even the same plant can behave in different ways. Maybe the differences are due to when the seed was colleted ?

Seed of two different collections of Aconitum alboviolaceum has germinated within two weeks in room temperature.

Hannelotte:
It's a genus whose germination patterns have intrigued me for many years, because it *is* all over the place.
I am re-testing a number of species from 2008 season right now that have been frozen since harvest, just to see how viability has been affected, because if a high percentage of the genus can be frozen as a solution to the short viability of some members, that is obviously a simple method that can be employed across the board.

It is known that some plant species *are* in fact affected by the time of collection and treatment immediately after collection (most notably, sowing very fresh or sowing *too* fresh)---but that is another long topic for another time.

I have actually not found much variability in the pattern of germination of Aconitum species here year after year---where I have problems is seed received from others supposedly the same species---so of course I always assume that we in fact have different species and that accounts for the difference in germination patterns.

[Kristl Walek]

I had one more look at this thread and noticed Arisaema's image of Aconitum delphinifolium. I don't think the image gaves the right impression of the plant. It is a low species with good blue flowers. Here two images of Aconitum delphinifolium with A. ajanense side by side at the road between Magadan and Jakutsk.

Hannelotte,

Aconitum delphinifolium was a common species in the Yukon when I last did a seed collecting trip there---most plants I encountered were quite tall and *skinny*---I recall thinking that this one would have to be planted en masse to have any effect in the garden. The plants ultimately did not like my hot summers away from the cool north and it was lost in the garden.

There is however a rare dwarf, branching form (usually only about 15cm tall) ---sometimes *unofficially* referred to as var. compactum with beautiful, rich deep blue flowers. I have heard of it being in northern British Columbia, but never saw it in the Yukon. Apparently there is enough difference between this form and the species (including the root system) that it probably should in time be given a different species rank. I wonder if this is the form you have.

[Kristl Walek]

I have a little forest of easy, warm Aconitum species germinated and growing lustily --barbatum, hemslyanum, ferox, albo-violaceum, episcopale to name just a few. The cold germinators are all outside under the snow.

But the one that is totally unique, even as a seedling, is the beautiful and very hardy A. heterophyllum--unmistakable once you have seen the seedlings once. The seed of this species has good long-term viability as well, enduring dry storage for a number of months. It sprouts in 4-5 weeks at warm.

[gote]

Is seed of A heterophyllum available in any of the seed exchanges?
Göte

[Kristl Walek]

The snow is barely gone here, but this morning I noticed the emergence of seedlings that I grew as Aconitum glandulosum 2 years ago. These are still in their seedlings pots, and the pots were sitting on the open ground over winter, not plunged, and entirely unprotected. Almost nothing is up in the gardens here, except Galanthus, so the fact that this Aconitum is already showing is quite amazing!!! Nights are still below freezing.

I have no idea where I got the seed---but a search just brought me to a Russian site, indicating that this is a small Siberian alpine species 30-45cm tall. This may explain it's early emergence and exceptional hardiness. I can't find any other reference to it.

Does anyone know anything else about it?