Aconitum columbianum ssp. columbianum

Aconitum robertianum Greene:
Mexico (Mesoamerica)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Aconitum lutescens A. Nelson:
Mexico (Mesoamerica)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Aconitum noveboracense A. Gray:
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Aconitum columbianum var. columbianum :
Canada (North America)
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Aconitum uncinatum subsp. noveboracense (A. Gray) Hardin:
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Aconitum mogollonicum Greene:
Mexico (Mesoamerica)
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: Known only from three isolated geographic regions: the Catskill Mountains of New York, northeastern Ohio, and the Driftless Area" (unglaciated portion) of northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin. Iowa: Alamakee, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuqe, Jackson counties; Ohio: Portage, Summit counties; New York: Chenango (historical records), Ulster, Delaware, Sullivan counties; Wisconsin: Grant, Monroe, Richland, Sauk, Vernon counties.

The majority of the range of this species is in the Driftless area of Iowa (Mabry et al. 2009).

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: San Francisco Peaks (Coconino Co.) Arizona.

Canada

Origin: Unknown/Undetermined

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

United States

Origin: Unknown/Undetermined

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

This species isn't distinguishable from A. columbianum and is considered by Cole and Kuchenreuther (2001) to be part of A. columbianum.

Differs from Delphinium exaltatum & D. tricorne, which have spurred sepals, by its hooded sepals; differs from A. uncinatum by degree of pubescence and flower shape.

Comments: This species occurs in a unique habitat, algific talus slopes, which is characterized by north-facing, carbonate talus slopes where cold air and moisture pours out of ice filled caves. These caves maintain a below freezing temperature throughout the year and yield surrounding soil temperatures of 15C or less (Nekola 1999).

Shaded or partially shaded cliffs and talus slopes in Ohio, Iowa, and Wisconsin, and at high-elevation headwaters and in crevices along streams in New York. There seems to be no rock substrate favored by the species overall. The most significant common habitat factor appears to be the cold soil environment associated with these cliff, talus slope, and spring/headwater stream situations. In most of the habitats occupied by northern wild monkshood there is either active and continuous cold air drainage or cold ground water flowage out of the nearby bedrock. The year-round soil temperatures average from 11 to 18 degrees Celsius. Local distribution of the species is also closely associated with areas where ground water or subterranean air is emanating, which contributes to a local microclimate with high relative humidity.

Comments: 2900-3350 m elevation in the San Francisco Peaks.

Note: For many non-migratory species, occurrences are roughly equivalent to populations.

Estimated Number of Occurrences: 81 - 300

Comments: There are 84 sites known in Iowa, 19 in Wisconsin, 3 in Ohio and 11 in New York. There may only be two sites of this species left in Ohio. In 2006 the habitat of one of the sites was dramatically altered and only one plant was found, this being a large decline from the nearly 100 plants found at this site in the late 1980s (Ohio Natural Heritage Program 2007).

The northern wild monkshood is commonly associated with species typical of eastern deciduous forest, and marsh and swamp wetlands.

Showy, zygomorphic flowers adapted for pollination by bumblebees; seeds are probably dispersed by water (ie. flowing streams). Sexual and vegetative reproduction occur. The northern monkshood produces flowers from June until August and produces 30-45 seeds from each flower. 'Daughter' ramets or stems can grow out of parent tubers and this is the main form of vegetative reproduction. Also, bulbils are formed in some populations at the leaf axes. These bulbils can produce tubers and apical meristems. This species over winters as a tuber and all tissue connecting the parent plant to the daugher ramets is gone (Mabry et al. 2009).

Rounded Global Status Rank: T5 - Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N3 - Vulnerable

Rounded Global Status Rank: G3 - Vulnerable

Reasons: This species occurs in three isolated geographic regions: northeastern Iowa/southwestern Wisconsin, northeastern Ohio, and the Catskill Mountains of New York. The largest concentrations are in Iowa and Wisconsin. Some of the populations in this region are quite large (one population in Iowa has about 10,000 individuals). There are eleven extant occurrences in New York and only two or three in Ohio.

It is believed that this species is a glacial relict, that as the glaciers retreated during the Pleistocene, this species only survived in a microhabitat that mimiced its habitat during this cooler era, but during the glaciated time that this species was more common. The populations of this species are geographically isolated from one another and the distribution of this species is limited by its highly specific microclimate needs, which currently are near algific talus slopes in which cold air spills out from caves with ice as a substrate (Cole and Kuchenreuther 2001).

The species is slow-growing, very sensitive to disturbance, and is currently significantly threatened by various disturbances including dams, reservoirs, road/powerline construction and maintenance, quarrying and logging operations. The lack of protected occurrences in some areas is of concern.

Finally, genetic studies have revealed that this species is not distinguishable from the western species A. columbianum, suggesting that these two species should be considered one (Cole and Kuchenreuther 2001). With this said, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does not believe that enough population data were collected to lump this species into the more western A. columbianum (Mabry et al. 2009).

Environmental Specificity: Very narrow. Specialist or community with key requirements scarce.

Comments: This Aconitum species inhabits a very specific habitat, known as agific talus slopes. This habitat type is characterized by carbonate talus slopes where cold air spills out from ice filled caves. These caves are thermally buffered by the surrounding slopes. The soil temperature rarely goes above 15C in the summer. The surrounding forest is deciduous and the caves are usually situated on north-facing slopes (Nekola 1999).

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N1 - Critically Imperiled

Rounded Global Status Rank: G1 - Critically Imperiled

Reasons: Range very limited - known only from higher elevations in Coconino County, Arizona.

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

Global Short Term Trend: Relatively stable to decline of 30%

Comments: A recent study of this species in Iowa, the area of the country with the most populations of this species, showed several trends. In several populations in Iowa, the number of plants decreased over several years prior beginning in 1994, but then recovered in 2004 and 2005. While this recovery was seen, the number of stems on each plant and the number of nodes on a plant decreased steadily. The number of fruits produced also declined or remained constant over the time period sampled (1992-2005). Finally, the number of cotyledons and juvenile plants followed the same pattern as density, i.e. the number of total plants (Mabry et al. 2009).

These trend data show a mixed picture of how this species has faired in Iowa over a number of years. Density decreased and then recovered, while reproduction decreased or remained constant. These trend variables were also noticed in other population observations, and these observations were thought to correlate with drought (Mabry et al. 2009). All in all, it isn't clear what specifically is driving the trends in population numbers and reproduction.

It should be noted that there are probably many factors influencing the trends of this species across it's range given it's scattered and glacial margin distribution, and its highly specific microclimate.

Comments: Dams and reservoirs, road/powerline construction and maintenance, logging/quarrying operations, grazing, foot traffic, development, overcollecting, sink hole filling, and invasive plants (Garlic mustard, Alliaria petiolata) are all threats to this species (Mabry et al. 2009).

In addition, there are threats from predators, but some are native herbivores like slugs, catepillars and white-tailed deer. Further, Noctuid moths (Megalographa biloba) and fungal infections have been found on the plants. The dramatic decline in Bumblebees (Bombus spp.) is also a threat to this species since Bumblebees are known to pollinate this species (Mabry et al. 2009).

Biological Research Needs: Research needed on propagation under greenhouse and garden conditions, pilot transplants, and tissue culture techniques.

Comments: The species has some direct positive values to mankind which include: probable medicinal values, horticultural potential, and source of hybrid genetic material. The genus has been of interest pharmacologically for centuries. Most parts of the plant, particularly the roots and leaves, contain poisonous alkaloids that are paralytic to the nervous and circulatory systems. Old World monkshood have been the source of the drugs aconite and aconitine. It may be that the alkaloids found in northern wild monkshood are unique or in recoverable quantities for commercial purposes, but this has not been researched. The species does have horticultural potential as a garden perennial and has been propogated by the Univ. of Wisconsin. As a source of hybrid genetic material the value of monkshood is promising. Using plant breeding research techniques, genetic attributes of the species may be incorporated into other species to produce hybrid, ornamental garden monkshood with better horticultural qualities. (from U86OES01HQUS)