POLYANDRIA— PENTAGYNIA. Aconiium. 31 



272. ACONITUM. Wolf's-bane. 



Linn. Gen. 274. Juss. 234. Tourn. f. 239, 240. Lam. t. 482. 



Gcertn. t. Go. DeCand. Syst. t'. 1 . 364. 

 Nat. Orel, see 7i. 270. 



Cal. none. Pei. 5, inferior, unequal, 4- of them in pairs, 

 opposite ; the -upper one hooded, or tubular, inverted, 

 the. convex or hind part being uppermost, the deflexed 

 point recurved ; 2 lateral ones roundish, opposite, con- 

 verging ; 2 lowermost oblong, deflexed. Nectaries 2, 

 within the hollow of the uppermost petal, on long awl- 

 shaped stalks, tubular, drooping, oblique at the orifice, 

 recurved at the honey-bag behind. Filam. numerous, 

 broad at the base, awl-shaped, short, directed towards the 

 upper petal, some of the innermost often dilated and abor- 

 tive. Anth. roundish, small, erect. Germans superior, 

 3, 4, or 5, oblong. Styles terminal, awl-shaped, spread- 

 ing. Stigmas simple, acute. Caps. \follicles\ as many 

 as' the germens, straight, ovate-oblong, of 1 valve, burst- 

 ing at the inner side. Seeds numerous, angular, rugged, 

 at the edges of the capsule. 



Perennial herbs, of a very dangerous quality, highly nar- 

 cotic and acrid. Roots fleshy. Stems erect, or twining. 

 Leaves fingered and cut. Clusters terminal, many-flow- 

 ered, bracteated. Fl. dark blue, whitish, or pale yellow. 

 The nectaries are full of honey. 



1. A. Napellus. Common Wolfs-bane, or Monk's- 

 hood. 



Upper petal arched at the back ; lateral ones hairy at 

 the inner side. Germens three, smooth. Leaves deeply 

 five-cleft, cut, with linear .segments, furrowed above. 



A. NapeHu.s. Linn. Sp. PL 751. HWd. v. 2. 1235. fVoodv t. 6. 



Purt. V 3 17, note. Seringue Aeon. 152. t. 15./. 41, 42, 50. 

 A. vulgare. DiCand. Syst.v. 1.371. 

 A. n 1197. il'iU Ilisf'r. 2.90. 

 Napellus. Dod. Pnnpt. 442./. 



N. vervi.s CceruUnis. Ger. Em. 972./. Lob. Ic. 679./ 

 p:i.sen hiitlin. Trng. Hist. 21S./ 

 Lycoctonum sativum tricarpuni. Cord. Hist. 1 15. same/. 



In watery l)laccs, a doubtful native. 



By the side of tlie river Tcmc, Herefordshire ; and .still more abun- 

 dantly on the banl.^ of a brook, rnnninu; into tiiat river, to all 



