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Eranthis hyemalis, winter aconite
Summary
An excellent example of the confusion which common names can cause, this, relatively, innocent first flower of spring is, sometimes, accused of being as deadly as plants in the Aconitum genus.
Family
Ranunculaceae
Meaning of the Name
Eranthis
From the Greek 'er' for spring plus 'anthis' for flower.
hyemalis
belonging to winter, 'hyems'
Common Names and Synonyms
winter aconite, aconite
How Poisonous, How Harmful?
As a member of the Ranunculaceae family, it is expected to be poisonous but there is no consensus over the poisonous component(s). Protoanemonin is present in many genera in the family but has not be isolated from Eranthis.
Ingestion of very large quantities might produce stomach upset.
Incidents
There are no reported cases of any creature, human or otherwise, being poisoned by Hyemalis eranthis.
Folklore and Facts
There is no clear reason for naming this plant 'aconite'. It is just possible that it results from confusion with the yellow-flowering Aconitum anthora.
Some sources, especially online and including some prominent reference sites, recite the story of Cerebus and his spit in relation to this plant and describe it as extremely poisonous and claim it was used to poison arrows.
The CD-ROM produced by Kew Gardens and the Medical Toxicology Unit at Guy's and St Thomas's Hospital states that there are no reported cases of poisoning and says that no conclusive analysis of the plant is available.
