Allan Armitage

"has a number of common names, one of which is monkshood, so called because of the enlarged that resembles a hood, under which the rest of the floral parts are hidden. Roots were used as poison bait for wolves, thus accounting for another popular name, wolfsbane. All aconitums have poisonous roots, leaves, and stems and warnings concerning their poisonous properties have been sounded since the late 1500s."

"I always enjoy a good story, and the history of the blue false indigo, , makes for good reading. This blue-flowered species was the first plant to be subsidized by the English government in the 1700s, the farmers in the colonies of Georgia and South Carolina grew it as a row crop for the British Empire to supplement true indigo (). It was a good substitute, but not of the quality of true indigo, and thus came to be known as false indigo, or wild indigo. The false indigos come in three main colors—blue, white, and yellow—but new hybrids and selections are bringing this fine plant into mainstream gardening."

"The new program at the (UGA) consists of plant evaluation and new crop introduction. The definition of “new crop” used in the program is taxa that are new to the floriculture/landscape industry. New introductions are first evaluated in the for ease of propagation and placed in the trial gardens the subsequent spring. In the past, commercial growers were allowed to gather cuttings of new material and sell them under the names given to the new plant. The market determined the success or failure of the plant. Examples of successful plants which resulted from this “Open Grower” concept included ‘Homestead Purple’, ‘Margarita’, and new selections of (). No charge for cuttings was applied and no funding returned to the department. However, an excellent working relationship between the department and industry developed."