RANUNCULACE^. XXIX. ACONITUM. 



61 



Panicle rather loose. Flowers violet. Helmet conical, elongated, 

 abruptly mucronate in front. Spur thick depressed globose. 

 Ovaries 3, rarely 4-5, smooth or rather pilose. There are va- 

 rieties with broader and narrower leaves. 



Var. ft, album ; flowers white or suffused with blue lilac or vio- 

 let. Tf. . H. Native of Switzerland or the Levant. A. album, Ait. 

 hort. kew. ed. 1. vol. 2. p. 123. A. laevig&tum, Schleich. cat. ? 



Beaked Aconite. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1752. PI. 1 to 2. ft. 



56 A. NASUTUM (Fisch. in litt. Rchb. uebers. p. 56. ill. t. 

 9, 10.) helmet conical, bending forward ; beak short. I/. H. 

 Native of Caucasus and North West America on a mountain 

 near the source of Wallawalli River, a branch of the Columbia. 

 A. Cammarum, Bieb. fl. taur. and suppl. no. 1054. A. gibbo- 

 sum, Ser. mus. helv. 1. p. 141. t. 15. f. 14-15. Panicle con- 

 tracted, quite smooth. Flowers violet. Spur elongated, arched. 

 Lobes of leaves broad. Ovaries usually 8. 



Great-nosed Aconite. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1818. PI. 3 feet. 



57 A. VARIEGA'TUM (Lin. spec. 751.) helmet bent forward, 

 inflated; beak ascending. 1(..H. Native of middle Europe, 

 in the Alps, Rchb. ill. 34. A. humile, Sal. prod. p. 375. Clus. 

 hist. 2. p. 98. f. 1. Ger. herb. 971. f. 2. Lob. icon. 678. f. 2. 

 Stem erect, 'branched, smooth, a little flexuous. Lower leaves 

 on long stalks, upper ones sessile, smooth, thickish. Racemes 

 panicled, loose. Flowers large, blue, smooth. Ovaries 5, smooth. 



Var. a, pauctflorum (Ser. mus. helv. 1, p. 140.) helmet straight; 

 flowers pale-blue Clus. hist. 2. p. 98. f. 1. 



Var. /3, bicolor ; helmet straight ; flowers white, edged with 

 blue or lilac. Ti.H. A. variegatum, Schrad. hort. goett. 

 Moench. A. rhynchanthum /3, bicolor, Rchb. uebers. p. 56. 

 A. leucanthum /3, bicolor, Rchb. ueber. p. 55. 



Var. y,pallidifibrum (Ser. mus. helv. 1. p. 140.) helmet in- 

 clined ; flowers white, variegated with blue. A. variegatum, 

 Lin. spec. 751. A. variegatum /3, bicolor, Rchb. uebers. p. 58. 



Var. S, cceruleum (Ser. mus. helv. 1. p. 140.) helmet inclined ; 

 flowers blue. 7f..H. A. Cammarum, Schleich. cat. 1821. A. 

 glabrum. D. C. syst. 1. p. 379. 



Var. t, angustilobum (Ser. mus. helv. 1. p. 140.) helmet in- 

 clined ; lobes of leaves very narrow ; flowers blue. 



Var. , albiflorum (Ser. mus. helv. 1. p. 140.) helmet straight ; 

 flowers small, white. !(.. H. A. leucanthum, Richb. uebers. 

 p. 55. A. album, Moench and Hortul. A. Japonicum, Hortul. 



Var. q, grandiflorum (Ser. mus. helv. 1. p. 140.) helmet large ; 

 flowers -blue. If.. II. A. variegatum. D. C. herb, sent to him 

 by Bernhardi. 



Var. 0, rhynchdnthum (Rchb. uebers. p. 56.) helmet some- 

 what conical, falcately-navicular. TJ..H. A. variegatum n, fal- 

 catum. Ser. mus. helv. 1. p. 141. Flowers blue. 



Var. t, humile ; racemes simple, few-flowered. 7. H. A. 

 rhynchanthum y, humile. Rchb. uebers. p. 56. 



Var. K, bulbiferum (Rchb. uebers. p. 55.) bulbs in the axils 

 of the leaves. A. Napellus S S, bulbiferum. Ser. mus. helv. 1 . 

 p. 160. 



Var. X, mixtum (Rchb. uebers. p. 61,) flowers mixed with ' 

 blue and white. 



Variegated Aconite. Fl. Aug. Clt. 1597. PI. 1 to 6 feet. 



58 A. JAPO'NICUM (Thunb. fl. jap. 231.) helmet exactly co- 

 nical, abruptly mucronate ; beak acute, straight. If. . H. Na- 

 tive of Japan, where it is called So-Huso. Stem round, smooth. 

 Leaves stalked, trifid ; lateral lobes bifid, middle lobe trifid, all 

 blunt and deeply toothed. Panicle loose, with ascending 

 branches. Ovaries 3. Plant quite smooth. Ser. mus. helv. 1. 

 p. 146. 1. 15. f. 22 and 23. 



Var. a, carneum (Ser. pi. sel. cent. 1. and mus. helv. 1 . p. 146.) 

 flowers flesh-coloured. A. dlbum, D. C. syst. 1. p. 377. ? 



Var. j3, cceruleum (Ser. mus. helv. 1. p. 146.) flowers blue. 

 A. glabrum, B.C. syst. 1. p. 379. ? 



Japan Aconite. Fl. July, Sep. Clt. 1790. PI. 6 feet. 



59 A. UNCINA'TUM (Lin. spec. 750.) helmet regularly conical, 

 compressed. T/ . H. Native of North America on the high 

 mountains of Virginia and Carolina in swamps and by the sides 

 of rivulets. Sims, bot. mag. t. 1119. Rchb. ill. t. 35 and 36. 

 A. scandens, Muhl. Stem with branches rising from the axils 

 of the leaves. Racemes loose, rather umbellate at the apex, 

 very rarely panicled. Flowers middle sized or large, of a 

 lilac colour, smooth, with a somewhat spiral inclined spur. Ova- 

 ries 5, villous. 



Var. a, Linnceanum (Ser. mus. helv. 1. p. 147.) helmet pointed, 

 hooked. 7/ H. Native near Philadelphia. A. uncinatum, 

 Lin. spec. 750. var. a. D. C. syst. 1. p. 379. 



Var. /3, Michauxianum (Ser. mus. helv. 1. p. 147. 1. 15. f. 24 

 and 25.) helmet awnless in front. I/ . H. A. uncinatum, Mich, 

 fl. bor. amer. 315. Sims, bot. mag. 1. 1119. A. uncinatum /3. 

 D. C. syst. 1. p. 379. 



#ooA:erf-helmetted Aconite. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1768. PI. 4 

 to 8 feet. 



t Species doubtful whether they belong to the present section. 



60 A. PALMA'TUM (D. Don. prod. fl. nep. p. 190.) leaves 

 5 -cleft, palmate, smooth, paler beneath; segments cuneated, 

 deeply lobed and toothed ; stem simple, smooth. I/ . H. Native 

 of Nipaul at Gosaingsthan. Stem about the thickness of a com- 

 mon writing quill. Leaves on long stalks. Flowers not seen. 



Palmate-leaved Aconite. PI. 2 feet. 



61 A. FEROX (Wall, in litt. B.C. prod. 1. p. 64.) helmet 

 convex, curved, on short stipes ; spur thick, inclined ; lip very 

 narrow, divaricate ; stem simple. If. . H. Native of Nipaul. 

 A. virosum, D. Don, prod. fl. nep. p. 1 90. Stem clothed with 

 brown tomentum. Leaves many-parted, villous beneath, with 

 revolute edges ; cauline leaves almost sessile, 3-4 -parted ; seg- 

 ments pinnatifid ; lobes linear, stiff, obtuse, entire, or toothed. 

 Ovaries 3, villous. The root of this species is very poisonous. 

 Flowers shewy violet in loose woolly racemes. Ser. mus. helv. 

 1. p. 160. t. 15. f. 43, 44. 



Ferocious Aconite. PI. 2 to 6 feet. 



SECT. VIII. LYCO'CTONOI'DEA (applied to this section on account 

 of the plants it contains agreeing in character with A. Lycocto- 

 num, from XUKOC, lykos, a wolf; Krttvw, kteino, to kill ; because the 

 A.Lycoctomim was used to poison wolves, before a more efficacious 

 method was discovered). Rchb. uebers. p. 14. Sect II. Ly- 

 coctonum. D. C. syst. 1. p. 367. Calyx deciduous. Petals (nec- 

 taries) oblique ; spur clavate, straight, arched, hooked, or spiral. 

 Capsules 3, adult ones erect, or diverging. Stamens smoothish. 

 Helmet conical or cylindrical. Root tuberous, emitting numerous 

 fibres. Lobes of leaves wedge-shaped, pinnate, rarely bipinnate. 

 Flowers cream-coloured, white, or livid-blue. 



1. Spur clavate, nearly straight. Young capsules silky- 

 pubescent. 



62 A. BARBA'TUM (Patrin. in Pers. ench. 2. p. 83) spur straight- 

 ish, obtuse ; bottom of helmet conical ; middle sepals densely 

 bearded. !(.. H. Native of Siberia. Deless. icon. sel. 1. 1. 64. 

 Rchb. ill. t. 45. Ser. mus. helv. 1. p. 138. t. 15. f. 10 and 11. 

 A. boreale. Ser. ex Rchb. uebers. p. 62. A. squarrosum. 

 Lin. spec. 751. D. C. syst. 1. p. 368. Stem pubescent. Leaves 

 opaque, with the lobes divided into many linear segments, on long 

 stalks which are villous as well as the nerves. Racemes dense, 

 puberulous, with a few axillary racemules. Flowers middle- 

 sized, cream-coloured. Ovaries 3, silky. Sweet, fl. Gard. 164. 



Bearded Aconite. Fl. Jul. Aug. Clt. 1807. PL 2 to 6 ft. 



63 A. GMELI'NI (Rchb. uebers. p. 63. ill. t. 46.) spur straight, 

 obtuse ; bottom of helmet rounded, cylindrical. 1 . H. Native 



