PUSHING THE BORDERS

I am writing this post in a state of near perfect ignorance!

Somehow I have managed not to grow any climbing Aconitums apart from killing a seedling 'Red Wine' last year.

Please could those who know more than me wax lyrical [and photographically] on the range of cultivars available.

I have seed of 'Red Wine' coming to me this year. I gather it should flower after 4 years. Is that right?! It seems a long time for an herbaceous plant to take to flower.

Any other recommendations?

I like the look of Aconitum bulbilliferum; has anyone seen it in the flesh?

Apart from seed that seems like a long haul, how are they propagated?

Chad

Not sure this is what you want to hear, but! The only climbing acontitum that hasn't died the first year here is hemsleyanum!

I have seed for my first climbing Aconitum (A.volubile). I'm assuming that like the other Aconitum that I've grown the seed needs cold stratification? The non climbers flowered in their second season of growth.

All I can say regarding propagation is that large clumps are easily divided in the spring.

As far as I can tell the two plants under the names A. hemsleyanum and A. volubile are one and the same (at least under cultivation in the UK they are!) However Terry Underhill (once the TV SW gardening programs front man - long time ago) insisted that they were different.

I used to list under A volubile but this was changed to hemsleyanum by the Plant Finder who informed me that volubile was just an older incorrect name for hemsleyanum. but when I visited Wisley there was an Aconitum labeled A. volubile sadly not in flower.

As far as seed sowing I used to sow mine early in the year in a cold frame and let nature do the rest. However I noticed my original clump has quite deep flowers but the seedlings were variable in colour so now I do them by division, so if you get good results I would grow on several to flowering size and select the one/s you like.
aconitum hemsleyanum by charliepridham, on Flickr

Aconitum volubile and hemsleyanum are both given 'accepted' status by The Plant List [Kew et al].

I need to find an academic paper on the differences I think!

'Red Wine' is widely listed as a 'form' of hemsleyanum [written as Aconitum hemsleyanum 'Red Wine'], but any discussion of it suggests otherwise.

Jonas Bengsston of Djupetals Nursery in Sweden told Grahame Ware the following. "In the Spring of 1989,
Gothenberg Botanical Garden received seeds of what was supposedly Aconitum hemsleyanum
from the Shanghai Botanical Garden. At Gothenberg they already had clones of A. hemsleyanum
and they discovered that it did not match. The flowers are as big as those of the popular
herbaceous Aconitum 'Spark's variety' and the colour is a wine red (RHS colour chart 185A). It is
likely a natural hybrid that
comes true from seed."

But that gives us no clue as to what the other parent is!

Is A.bulbilliferum the only 'species' that we know of that has 'red' flowers? Amongst the non-climbers some pictures of Aconitum lycoctonum ssp. septentrionale make it look at least reddish.

I'll hunt out some descriptions of volubile and hemsleyanum and try to work out if there is a horticultural difference.

Chilterns sell seed of both and 'Red Wine'.


Chad.

Well this turned out to be far more complicated than I had thought!

It seems that ‘in the trade’ A. hemsleyanum and volubile are ‘confused’. They should be distinct, but almost all the plants are hemsleyanum whatever they are called.

Also in cultivation [at least at some time] are a variety of other climbing or at least scandent species.

Aconitum bulbilliferum is sold by Crug with a dusky/reddish flower. The flora says it is blue.

Also to be found, in catalogues at least, have been A.episcopale, finetianum, fischeri var arcuatum and sczukinii.

As far as I can see the flower colour and form are hugely variable within each species.

‘Red Wine’ has been assumed to be a hybrid because it came from botanic garden seed [rather than wild collected] and doesn’t match any recorded species. That it breeds true with very little variation doesn’t rule out hybridity, but it would be uncommon for a primary hybrid. If it could be found in the wild I think it would be described as a new species.

Just for the record from the e-flora for China, Aconitum hemsleyanum;
Caudex conical, ellipsoid-globose, or fusiform, 1.6--10 cm, to 1.6--2.8 cm in diam. Stem usually purplish, twining, branched, glabrous. Leaves long petiolate; petiole 4--10 cm, sparsely pubescent or nearly glabrous; leaf blade pentagonal or ovate-pentagonal, 6.5--12 × 8--13 cm, glabrous, base cordate or subtruncate, 3-parted; central lobe trapezoid-rhombic or ovate-rhombic; lateral lobes obliquely flabellate, unequally 2-lobed. Inflorescence terminal, 2--6(--12)-flowered; rachis and pedicels glabrous or appressed pubescent, or pedicels spreading pubescent; proximal bracts leaflike or broadly elliptic; distal bracts linear, smaller. Pedicels usually pendulous, 2.2--6 cm, with 2 bracteoles proximally or distally; bracteoles linear, 3--5 × ca. 0.5 mm, glabrous or pubescent. Sepals dark blue, abaxially glabrous or sparsely pubescent, or both surfaces pubescent; lower sepals 1.2--1.3 cm; lateral sepals suborbicular, 1.5--1.6 cm; upper sepal high galeate or cylindric-galeate, 2--2.4 cm high, clawed or indistinctly so, lower margin erect or slightly concave, 1.7--1.8 cm. Petals glabrous, or petaline lip and claw sparsely pubescent; limb ca. 1 cm × 4 mm; lip ca. 5 mm; spur incurved or circinate, 2--8 mm. Stamens glabrous; filaments 2-denticulate or entire. Carpels 5, glabrous or rarely ovary pubescent. Follicles erect, 1.2--1.5 mm; persistent style 2.5--5.5 mm. Seeds ca. 3 mm. Fl. Aug--Oct.

Aconitum volubile;
Caudex unknown. Stem twining, branched, glabrous or apically sparsely retrorse pubescent. Middle cauline leaves long petiolate; petiole 3.5--6 cm; leaf blade pentagonal, 7--9 × 8--10 cm, papery, abaxially glabrous or nearly so, adaxially sparsely appressed pubescent, base cordate, 3-sect; central segment usually stipitate, rhombic-ovate; lateral segments obliquely flabellate, unequally 2-fid or nearly to base. Inflorescence terminal or axillary, 3--5-flowered; rachis and pedicels densely spreading yellowish pubescent, or retrorse and appressed pubescent; basal bracts 3-fid, others linear. Pedicels 2--3.8 cm, with 2 bracteoles above middle; bracteoles linear, 2--3 mm. Sepals blue-purple, abaxially spreading pubescent, or retrorse and appressed pubescent; lower sepals 0.8--1.3 cm; lateral sepals 1--1.5 cm; upper sepal high galeate, 1.8--2.7 cm, 1--1.5 cm from base to beak, lower margin oblique upward. Petals glabrous; limb 6--10 mm; lip 3--6 mm; spur incurved, 1.5--3 mm. Stamens glabrous; filaments entire. Carpels 5, glabrous or ovary spreading pubescent. Follicles 1.5--1.7 cm. Seeds ca. 2.5 mm. Fl. Aug--Sep. 2n = 16*.

If anyone can spot an obvious and not overlapping criterion for separation please highlight it!

I’ve got that in hemsleyanum the inflorescence is only terminal but in volubile it can be terminal or axial.

Chad.

My A.volubile seed came from a gardener in Germany who takes no photos. When I asked the question about how long to blooms I was told two years is normal so we may know next year what I have.

The A.volubile seeds are germinating after about a week in my front room with no period of cold stratification.

Ok, so not only are they germinating but they are germinating like cress :D So if any of you guys want one to do a back to back comparison let me know and I'll put your name to one when I prick them out.

Yes please!