Aconitum.] i. RANtiNCULACE^:. (Hook. f. & Thorns.) 29 



TEMPERATE ALPINE HIMALAYA, from 10,000 ft. to the highest limit of vegetation in 

 the N.W. provinces. DISTUIB. Temp, and arctic Europe, Asia, and America. 



Stem 6 in.-3 ft., often decumbent in small states, glabrous or slightly pubescent. 

 Leaves very variable in size, ultimate divisions linear. Racemes simple or sparingly 

 compound; bracts entire or 3-fM. Flowers f-1 in. long, bright or dull greenish-blue. 

 Helmet three times as long as high. Follicles 3-5, in the Indian forms hairy. An 

 extremely variable plant, of which we have vainly attempted to refer the Indian forms 

 to those indicated by Regel The small alpine forms closely resemble the arctic Ame- 

 rican forms of A. delphinifolium. The roots of vars. 1 and 2 are poisonous, but those 

 of 3 and 4 are eaten by the Bhoteas. 



VAR. 1. NAPELLUS proper; stem 2-3 ft. leafy, raceme dense flowered. 



VAR. 2. RIGIDUM; stem 2-3 ft. few-leaved, leaves firm subcoriaceous with spreading 

 falcate sharp teeth, racemes lax few-flowered, tomentose. A. dissectum, Don Prodr. 1 97 ; 

 Wall. Cat. 4724 ; Royle III. 54. A. ferox, Wall Cat. 4721 A ; Plant. As. Ear. t. 41. 



VAR. 3. MULTIFIDUM; stem 6-12 in. erect or decumbent few-leaved, leaves 1-2 in. 

 diam. many-lobed to the base, lobes cut into linear segments; racemes lax few- or 

 many-flowered. A. multifidum, Boyle 111. 56. A. oligdiithemum, Kern. Nov. PL Sp. 

 Dec. ii. 23. 



VAR. 4. ROTUXDIFOLIUM ; like var. 3, but leaves not divided to the base. A. rotun- 

 difolium, Kar. & Kir.; Lad. Fl. Ross. n. 1740. A. Tianschanicum, Osk. & Rupr. 

 Sert. Tian. in Mem. Acad. St. Peter sb. 1869. 



7. A. heterophyllum, Wall. Cat. 4722 ; stem erect leafy, leaves broad 

 ovate or orbicular-cordate more or less 5-lobed and -toothed, upper entire 

 amplexicaul. raceme many-flowered, helmet shortly beaked, testa smooth. 

 Royle III. 56, t. 13 ; //./. & T. Fl. Ind. 58. A. cordatum, Royle III 56. 

 A. Atees, Royle in Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, i. 459. 



WEST TEMPERATE HIMALAYA, from Kumaon to Hasora, alt. 8-13,000 ft. 



Stem 1-3 ft., simple or branched from the base, glabrous below, puberulous above. 

 Leaves 2-4 in., acute or obtuse ; cauline sharply toothed, the lowest long petioled and 

 not amplexicaul. Bacemes often pauicled ; bracts sharply toothed, upper 3-fld or entire. 

 Flowers more than 1 in. long, bright blue, greenish blue witli purple veins. Helmet 

 half as high as long. Follicles 5, downy. Root much valued in India, according to 

 Royle, as a febrifuge and tonic. 



17. ACTJ&A, Linn. 



An erect perennial herb. Leaves alternate, ternately compound. Flowws 

 small, in short crowded racemes. Sepals 3-5, rather unequal, petaloid. 

 Petals 4-10, small, spathulate, or 0. Stamens many, filaments slender. 

 Carpel 1, many-ovuled ; stigma sessile, dilated. Berry many-seeded. Seeds 

 depressed ; testa coriaceous, smooth. 



1. A. spicata, Linn.; leaflets ovate-lanceolate entire or 3-lobed acutely 

 serrate. DC. Prodr. i. 65; //./. & T. Fl. Ind. 59. A. acuminata, Wall. 

 Cat. 4726 ; Royk 111. 57. 



TEMPERATE HIMALAYA, fromBhotan, Griffith, to Hazara. DISTRIB. Europe, N.Asia, 

 N.America. (Bane-berry.) 



Stem 2-3 ft., erect, from a woody horizontal rootstock, covered at the base with 

 leafless sheaths. Leaves 1ft.; leaflets ^-2 in. flacemes 1-3 in. ; pedicels filiform. 

 Flowers J in. diam., white. Berry elliptic or subglobose; black in the European and 

 Himalayan form, white and red in the American. 



18. CXH!CXFUSA, Linn. 



Erect perennial herbs. Leaves 2-5-ternately divided. Flowers in long 

 slender racemes, regular. Sepals 4-5, deciduous, petaloid. Petals (or trans- 



