Aconitum alboviolaceus

A. alboviolaceum is the spelling. It's a slender, twining/climbing species from China that has white flowers with variable amounts of purple.

It flowers in Aug/Sept and can be anything from 30cm to 2.5 metres in height - the plants available in the UK are all from imported seed, so it remains to be seen exactly what height and flower colour they produce.

There's an illustration in the Flora of China:

http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=39439&flora_id=2

Now I never expected a 'climber' I will have to rethink its spot in the garden. Is it better to grow it through other things or up its own support?
Glad its a late flowerer too.

Thanks for the link too Ilex.

I've found the climbing aconitums can be a bit straggly so probably best to let it ramble over something.
I would suggest something robust in case the aconitum decides to be a vigourous clone (something along the lines of an established magnolia stellata maybe?)

That may be a problem as the place i was thinking of planting it has just had the holly tree cut down [latest blog haha]. Mind at the other side is a lilac.
Is it totally herbaceaous or will I have some leaves to show its position.

Seaburngirl - there is a free-standing, upright form of the species (var. erectum) which only reaches around 30cm in height, but I don't think that it's in cultivation here in the UK, where all the plants seem to be of the taller, twining variety.

It is fully herbaceous, so would normally die back to it's rhizome each year...I say normally because you never know exactly what will happen with our variable weather!

Thanks for the extra info, I know I got it at an HPS stall so knowing some of the members they will have grown it from seed. At the next meeting I will ask who grows it and hopefully I will get some more info too.

It was in a 3" pot over the winter with the pot at the back of the garden. 2ft of snow and all the ice hasnt put it off there are 2 new leaves peeping up. I've planted it here it can scramble up the Jasmine nudifolium should it be a cliber and it will have enough room should it be free standing.

Dan Hinckley (an American plant hunter) talks about this plant in his book on perennials. He reckons it grows upright for the first three years and then becomes a climber. So it will be interesting to see if yours does a similar transformation

ooh even more info . curiouser and curiouser.