Birth flower for September 27
Monkshood
Meaning: chivalry
Monkshood is one of the most poisonous garden plants, full of aconitine; the Ainu of Japan once used it to poison arrows for bear hunting. Its Japanese name compares the hooded upper sepal to a ceremonial court-dance headdress. Greek myth says it sprang from the drool of Cerberus. Gardeners grow it for its tall autumn spires of deep blue.