Aconitum noveboracense

Aconitum noveboracense, also known as northern blue monkshood or northern wild monkshood, is a flowering plant belonging to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). Members of its genus (Aconitum) are also known as wolfsbane.

Northern wild monkshood
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (NatureServe)
Threatened (ESA)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Ranunculales
Family:	Ranunculaceae
Genus:	Aconitum
Species:	A. noveboracense
Binomial name
Aconitum noveboracense A.Gray ex Coville

A. noveboracense is listed as a threatened species by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service government. The species can only be found in Iowa, Wisconsion, Ohio, and New York, and populations have been in decline since the 1980s. Only seven populations can be found in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. Most populations of the plant are found in northeastern Ohio, and portions of the "Driftless Area" located in northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin.

Northern monkshood is noted for its very distinctive, blue hood-shaped flowers. The flowers are about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in length, and a single stem may have many flowers. Stems range from about 1 to 4 feet (0.30 to 1.22 m) in length. The leaves are broad with coarse, toothed lobes.

• Typically found on shaded to partially shaded cliffs, algific talus slopes, or on cool, streamside sites. These areas have cool soil conditions, cold air drainage, or cold groundwater flowage. On algific talus slopes, these conditions are caused by the outflow of cool air and water from ice contained in underground fissures. These fissures are connected to sinkholes and are a conduit for the air flows.
• A. noveboracense seedlings are highly sensitive to their environmental conditions and thrive in soil with a high moisture content. Adult plants are less sensitive to variations in environmental conditions than seedlings, and survivorship of the seedlings is reduced with decreases in temperature or moisture content.

Northern monkshood is a perennial and reproduces from both seed and small tubers. Self fertilization is usually not a viable means for reproduction in A. noveboracense. The flowers bloom between June and September and are pollinated when bumblebees pry open the blossom to collect nectar and pollen, and seeds are dispersed through water or gravity.

Causes of threatened status

• Habitat loss or degradation - Threats to northern monkshood include contamination and filling of sinkholes, grazing and trampling by livestock, human foot traffic, logging, maintenance of highways and power lines, misapplication of pesticides, quarrying, and road building.
• Collection - Some populations have been adversely affected by scientific collection.
• Rising temperatures due to climate change endanger the sensitive environmental conditions required by A. noveboracense. For some New York populations, drought and flooding have impacted populations found at headwater streams.
• Deer overpopulation has severely impacted the Catskill mountain populations, which are put at risk by deer herbivory.

Protection

• Listing - Northern monkshood was added to the U.S. List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants in 1978.
• Recovery plan - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has developed a recovery plan that describes actions needed to help the plant survive.
• Research - Many northern monkshood populations are being monitored to determine long-term population trends. Genetic studies are being conducted so population differences can be better understood.
• Habitat protection - A variety of government and private conservation agencies are all working to preserve the northern monkshood and its habitat. Voluntary protection agreements have also been made with some private landowners.

Images

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  Northern blue monkshood (Aconitum noveboracense)
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  Northern monkshood, white phase
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  Northern monkshood, blue phase