Aconite is a poisonous plant that is beautiful, which brings many people to plant it in their gardens. Various species of Aconitum have been used for centuries both as poisons and medicines.

The flowers tend to be blue-purple or yellow in color, and the plant is native to mountainous areas. Aconite is the common name for any of 100 or more related species in the Aconitum genus.

These perennial plants grow to a height of 0.6 to 1.5 m and resemble delphiniums. Aconite has characteristic helmet-shaped blue or purple flowers. Occasionally, the flowers may be white, pink, peach, or yellow. More than 100 species of Aconitum are found throughout the temperate zones of the United States and Canada. These plants also are found throughout many parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Two of the species, Aconitum napellus and Aconitum carmichaeli are used medicinally. The more popular remedy, Aconitum napellus, is a plant that grows in mountainous regions of Central Asia, Russia, Europe, and Great Britain.

This perennial plant from the Ranunculaceae family grows to a height of 3 ft (1 m) and has dark green, glossy leaves and dark blue flowers.