Image of Aconitum lamarckii

Description:

Slo.: ozkoeladasta preobjeda, zlatina preobjeda - Habitat: stony alpine grassland in a large snow valley, almost flat terrain; calcareous ground with some acid rock; open place, full sun, moist place; exposed to direct rain, average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 0-2 deg C,elevation 1970 m (6.500 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. - Substratum: soil among rocks. - Comment: The plants of the genus Aconitum (all of them are very poisonous) growing in Slovenia are tall and very beautiful. When in bloom, it is impossible to overlook their inflorescences in various shades of yellow, blue and violet. But, determination to species level is not always simple, particularly not among yellow ones. The plants growing on Mangart flats are taxonomically very interesting. Aconitum lamarckii is a species name around which there are several ambiguities. Flora Alpina (Ref.:(2)) considers A. lamarckii a synonym of A. lycoctonum ssp. neapolitanum, A. ranunculifolium and two other names. Flora Helvetica (Ref.:(3)) considers it as a valid name and adds the synonym name A. pyrenaicum. Ref.:(4) (with probably the most elaborated taxonomy description in my reach) states in addition the name A. lycoctonum ssp. ranunculifolium. Unfortunately, the plants growing on Mangart flats do not correspond well to the descriptions behind these names. The ground leaf segments should be linear and very narrow. It is evidently from the pictures that they are not. Also the plants photographed almost never have branched inflorescences. In addition, the inflorescences are much denser than expected. The Ref.:(1) therefore rightly states: ' ...the systematics of yellow blooming Aconitum species is still very unclear ...'. - Growing in a large group of more than hundred flowering plants. - Ref.: (1) T. Wraber, 2 x Sto alpskih rastlin na Slovenskem, (Two times of hundred alpine plants of Slovenia), Preernova druba (2006) (in Slovene), p 39. (2) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 1., Haupt (2004), p 130. (3) K. Lauber and G. Wagner, Flora Helvetica, 5. Auflage, Haupt (2012), p 108. (4) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora sterreich Liechtenstein, Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 271. (5) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije, Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007) (in Slovene), p 127.