A poisonous herb native to northern Europe having hooded blue-purple flowers; the dried leaves and roots yield aconite; SYN. helmetflower, helmet flower, Aconitum napellus.
Herbaceous Eurasian plant Aconitum napellus of the buttercup family Ranunculaceae, with hooded blue-mauve flowers. It produces aconitine, a powerful alkaloid with narcotic and analgesic properties.
There are about 100 species of the genus Aconitum throughout the northern temperate regions, all of which contain poison. Summer aconite A. uncinatum is a common North American flower. Winter aconite Eranthus hyemalis belongs to another genus of the buttercup family; it has yellow buttercuplike flowers with six petals and a ruff of leaves below.
Monk's hood.