Southern Blue Monkshood

Aconitum uncinatum

Found in seepages, saturated swamps, cove forests, other moist forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

Highly poisonous

Native to Alabama. Not suggested for planting. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 88%

Light: Dappled sunlight, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Usually moist

Aconitum uncinatum — bloom photograph — Dr. Thomas G. Barnes/Universtiy of Kentucky · Public domain · Original photograph

Highly poisonous. Highly toxic plant. Avoid ingestion and unprotected handling; excluded from default planting suggestions. Plant caution source

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: August to October

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Not yet recorded · Height · Spread

Height: NC species account not read yet.

Spread: no source found yet.

Recorded in 3 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Regional / representative. Shown: Southern coastal swamps, Florida to Virginia; state not identified, a neighboring state.Loblolly bay in a coastal swamp, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

Regional / representative. Shown: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee; representative habitat composite, not a documented exact viewpoint, a neighboring state.Cove hardwood forest, Hynes, Robert 'Bob', by 2012. Public domain. Source record.

Seeps and springs

Places where groundwater keeps the soil or rock wet, such as seepage slopes and spring runs.

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 99 animals.

Golden-crowned Kinglet
Regulus satrapa
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Golden-winged Warbler
Vermivora chrysoptera
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Gray Catbird
Dumetella carolinensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Great Crested Flycatcher
Myiarchus crinitus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hairy Woodpecker
Picoides villosus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hermit Thrush
Catharus guttatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hooded Merganser
Lophodytes cucullatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hooded Warbler
Wilsonia citrina
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Least Flycatcher
Empidonax minimus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Long-eared Owl
Asio otus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Louisiana Waterthrush
Seiurus motacilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Mississippi Kite
Ictinia mississippiensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Parula
Parula americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Orange-crowned Warbler
Vermivora celata
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Ovenbird
Seiurus aurocapilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Pileated Woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Pine Siskin
Carduelis pinus
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

1CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Aconitum

Pyrrhia ciliscaAmerican Bordered Sallow, Noble Sun Moth

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

1BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Aconitum

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

0Specialist beesPollen specialists

—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Ranunculaceae
Hardiness: Zones 4b–8b
Soil pH: Acidic to neutral
Flower color: Blue or purple

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “August to October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Blue or purple” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Hardiness · “Zones 4b–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Soil · “Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Appalachian Blue Monkshood; Eastern Blue Monkshood

Conservation status

Alabama rank	S1
Global rank	G4
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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