Aconitum napellus subsp. napellus Schneewittchen

Aconitum napellus 'Schneewittchen', a white variety of monkshood, is an alpine perennial with a fleshy stump that shares the elegance of its relatives. This variety also retains its wild beauty, with its large aerial spikes in summer. It bears large, round, glossy, deeply divided leaves on rather woody stems. This privileged guest of moist and fertile soils is a reliable and flowering shade plant, perfect for occupying the back of perennial beds.

Widely distributed in hilly or mountainous regions throughout Europe, as well as in temperate regions of Asia, monkshood is an herbaceous perennial of the Ranunculaceae family, like its cousin delphinium. This plant develops from a fleshy tuberous stump. In spring, an erect tuft emerges from the stump, formed by slightly hairy stems. They are adorned with tough, almost spherical, deeply palmate leaves, with an almost fringed appearance. They are deeply veined, dark green, and have a glossy surface. In July-August, long spikes measuring 40cm (16in) bloom at the tips of the stems, adorned with flowers. The unique shape of these flowers sometimes earns monkshoods the name of Jupiter's helmets. They are initially cream-coloured in bud, then white when fully open, with slightly thick petals that give a beautiful satin effect. The flowering plant measures at least 1.2m (4ft) in height when in bloom.

Monkshoods, especially the napellus species, are extremely toxic plants and are deadly if ingested.

Monkshoods suffer from a bad reputation due to their toxicity, which is unfortunate because they have a place in every garden. They are robust and very hardy, and their foliage is among the most beautiful among perennial plants. They are perfect in the back of borders, along with foxgloves and baneberries, for enchanting shaded summer scenes. They can be planted among bushes, sheltered from the wind that sometimes bends their stems, along with Japanese anemones that will take over their flowering. They are good perennials for clear and fresh woodlands. Their flowers are also magnificent in bouquets.