ACONITUM 



THE BULB BOOK 



ACOXITUM 



sides. The sweet-scented flowers are 

 pure white, and have three large 

 fimbriated stigmatic arms spreading 

 I'rom the mouth of the long cylindrical 

 tube. {Bot. McKj. t. 7879.) 



A. Gvmnisi.— A native of Somali- 

 land, having white flowers faintly 

 tinged with rose-purple, the perianth- 

 tube being 4 to 5 ins. long. 



ACONITUM (from Acona in 

 Bithynia, where it is said to be 



Fio. ZG.—AconHum Xapcllvs, 

 tuberous root-stock 



plentiful). Nat. Ord. Ranuncul- 

 accse. — The popular names for this 

 genus are Aconite, Monkshood, and 

 Wolf's Bane. There are many species 

 and varieties, .some having tuberous 

 roots, others fibrous. The latter arc 

 not considered in this work. They 

 are easily recognised by their leaves, 

 being more or less deeply divided 

 into five large lobes, these again being 

 irregularly cut into coarse teeth or 

 smaller lobes, and by the hooded 



58 



flowers being borne in terminal 

 racemes. The sepals form the most 

 conspicuous part of the blossoms. 

 The upper one is usually shaped like 

 a helmet or cowl (hence the name 

 of Monkshood), inside which two 

 petals with long stalks and small 

 hooded heads are enclosed. (See 

 Fig. 37.) 



The species mentioned below are 

 all quite hardy, and when grown in 

 bold clumps are ornamental in the 

 flower - border. It must be re- 

 membered, however, that the roots, 

 stems, leaves, etc., possess poisonous 

 properties, and notwithstanding their 

 beauty, it may be safer to keep them 

 out of gardens to which young 

 children have free access. A. hetero- 

 2)hj///iim, from the Himalayas, how- 

 ever, is said to be non-poisonous, and 

 is even used as a tonic called "Atees." 

 {Jiot. Mag. t. 6092.) 



Aconites flourish in any ordinary 

 garden soil, in sunny or partially 

 shaded jjlaces ; and also by the sides 

 of lakes, ponds, or streams, where 

 they can have plenty of sunshine. 

 When necessary to increase the stock, 

 the roots may be divided in spring ; 

 or seeds saved in late summer or 

 autumn may be sown at the same 

 period in prepared seed - beds in 

 sheltered and somewhat shady spots 

 in the open. Of the tuberous-rooted 

 species the common Monkshood — 

 A. Kapellus—\s, the best known, and 

 the most ornamental for gardens. 

 It is a virulently poisonous plant, 

 3 to 4 ft. high, with blackish, spindle- 

 shaped roots, and leaves deeply 

 divided into five or seven main lobes. 

 The erect racemes of blue, hooded 

 flowers, appear in June and July, and 

 often in autumn again if the flrst crop 

 has been cut early. There are several 

 varieties, of which album, white, 

 bifolor, blue and white, and (jraiuli- 

 Jioruvi, deep blue, are amongst the 



