VEGETABLE POISONS. 27 



The flower is extremely Angular; it has 

 five petals, one of them is uppermoft, and is 

 hooded, two are placed on the fides, and two 

 below : the lateral petals are broad, and in- 

 cline to each other ; the inferior ones are 

 longer than thofe on the fide, and droop 

 downward. Within the flower are two nec- 

 taria. The flowers fl:and on long fpikes, on 

 the fuperior part of the branches ; they are 

 large, and of a full beautiful blue. Three 

 capfules, inclofing the feeds, fucceed every 

 flower. 



Blue Monkfliood is fpontaneoufly pro- 

 duced in Germany, and fome other northern 

 parts of Europe, and is very common in our 

 gardens, where it is cultivated for ornament. 



This is certainly a poifonous plant, and 

 many infl:ances have been adduced of its 

 dangerous effeds. Dodonaeus gives an ac- 

 count of five perfons who eat the root of 

 blue monkfhood in their food at Antwerp, 

 and they all died. It has probably obtained 

 the name of wolPs-bane from a tradition that 

 wolves, in fearching for particular roots 

 which they in part fubfiil upon in winter, 



frequently 



