Marjorie's ramblings

By walkingMarj

Winter aconites (eranthis hyemalis)

We have lots of snowdrops flowering now and they look beautiful. The winter aconites are much rarer in our garden so the splashes of yellow the provide are especially prized.

It was another very misty day today, damp and raw. After taking post to the box and visiting the village shop, I had a little mooch around the garden. These aconites looked beautiful with the water on them (probably melted frost).

According to Wikipedia:
In Greek and Roman mythology, Medea tried to kill Theseus by poisoning him by putting aconite in his wine, in that culture thought to be the saliva of Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guarded the Underworld. Hercules dragged Cerberus up from the Underworld, while the dog turned his face away from the light, barking and depositing saliva along the path. The saliva hardened in the soil and produced its lethal poison in the plants that grew from the soil. Because it was formed and grew on hard stones, farmers called it 'aconite' (from the Greek akone, meaning 'whetstone')

So now you know. It is true that all parts of the plant are poisonous.

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