RANUNCULACEyE. XXIX. ACONITUM. XXIX. (2) NIRBISIA. 



63 



73 A. VULPA RIA (Rchb. uebers. p. 70. ill. t. 56, 57, and 58.) 

 spur spiral ; helmet cylindrical, large ; beak streached out, acute, 

 y.. H. Native of the Cevennes. A. Lycoctonum ft, glabriflc- 

 rum, D. C. syst. p. 369. A. Lye. y, grandiflorum, Ser. mus. 

 helv. 1. p. i34. A. rectum, Bernhardi ex Schleich. A. lupicida, 

 theriophonum, Rchb. ueber. ' These two last are hardly varieties. 

 Stem smooth, or a little pubescent. Leaves 3 or 5-lobed, ciliated. 

 Racemes crowded, furnished with lateral racemules. Flowers 

 pale yellow, smooth. Ovaries 3, smooth. 



Var, /3, phthbra (Rchb. uebers. p. 71.) flowers yellow. %. . H. 

 Native of Hungary. A. Lycoctonum, Rochel. 



Var. 7, cynoctonum (Rchb. uebers. p. 73.) flowers panicled, 

 numerous, yellow ; stems and flowers smoothish. TJ. . H. Na- 

 tive of Thuringia. A. Lycoctonum, Leysser. Blackw. t. 563. 



Var. <>, galectonum (Rchb. uebers. p. 67.) flowers yellow. 

 Capsules pubescent. Tf. . H. Native of Hungary. 



Var. t, tragbctonum (Rchb. uebers. p. 70.) flowers yellow, 

 panicled ; capsules smooth. % . H. Native of Carinthia. A. 

 pyramidale, Hoppe. 



Var. , rubicundum (Fisch. in litt. Ser. mus. helv. 1. p. 135. 

 D. C. prod. 1. p. 58. Lycoctonum, var. ic, rubicundum) flowers pa- 

 nicled, livid-violet, variegated with yellow ; helmet conico-cylin- 

 drical, compressed ; flowers and peduncles villous. Ovaries pilose, 

 elongated. 2. H. Native of Siberia. 



Var. n, Carpathicum (Ser. mus. helv. 1. p. 136. Lyc6ctonum, 

 var.) flowers panicled, of a lurid purple colour, sometimes va- 

 riegated with yellow ; helmet conico-cylindrical, compressed ; 

 stems and peduncles smooth; leaves profoundly cut. l/.H. 

 Native of the Carpathian mountains. A. septentrionale ft, Carpa- 

 thicum, D. C. syst. 1. p. 370. Sims, bot. mag. t. 2196. A. 

 australe, Rchb. ueber. p. 71. 



Var.S, septentrionale (V?i\\d. spe. 2. p. 1235.) flowers panicled, 

 blue ; helmet conico-cylindrical, compressed ; flowers and pedun- 

 cles villous ; ovaries smooth or pilose ? I/ . H. Native of 

 Lapland, Norway, and Siberia. A. Lycoctonum /*, septentrionale, 

 Ser mus. helv. 1. p. 136. 



Var. i, Moldavicum (Haquet. Rchb. uebers. p. 67.) flowers 

 panicled, violet ; helmet cylindrical, compressed ; ovaries silky- 

 villous. TJ. . H. Native of Moldavia and Bohemia. 



Fox-bane Aconite. Fl. Jul. Aug. Clt. 1800. PL 1-3 ft. 



74 A. EXCE'LSUM (Rchb. ill. t. 53.) spur spiral ; bottom of 

 helmet clavate, and with the beak elongated ; middle sepals very 

 short. 7/. H. Native of Russia near Moscow in shady groves. 

 Stem slender, 6-8 feet high or more, furrowed, puberulous. 

 Leaves large, thin, a little pubescent, smoothish above. Racemes 

 very long, loose, many-flowered. Flowers large, of a livid violet- 

 colour. Ovaries 3, smooth ? 



Tall Aconite. Fl. July, Aug. 1*1. 6 to 8 feet. 



75 A. THELY'PHONUM (Rchb. uebers. p. 73. ill. t. 54.) spur 

 spiral ; bottom of helmet conical-elongated. Tf. . H. Native of 

 Europe, particularly in Austria, Bavaria, Transylvania, and Swit- 

 zerland, &c. A. rectum zooctonum, and Lycoctonum, Rchb. 

 uebers, p. 65, 69, and 73. A. luparia, Rchb. uebers. 74 ? A. 

 alienum, Rchb/ 73.? A. lagoctonum, Rchb. ueber. 71. A. 

 arctophonum, Rchb. uebers. 71. A. Lycoctonum, Elwert, fasc. 

 pi. Baruth. D. C. syst. 1. p. 369. and other authors, but not of 

 Lin. Gaert. fruct. 1. p. 311. t. 65. A. Pyrenaicum and rectum, 

 Balbis. A. Lycoctonum, var. a, vulgare, Ser. mus. helv. 1. 

 p. 132. t. 15. f. 5, 6. 4. 8. Stem| to 6 feet pubescent, with yellow 

 hairs, hispid at the base. Leaves 7-parted, ciliated. Racemes 

 loose, furnished with a few axillary racemules. Flowers large, 

 yellow, pubescent, or smooth. Ovaries 3, smooth, rarely pu- 

 bescent. 



Var. ft, latiflorum, plant smoothish ; flowers spiked or pani- 

 cled, yellow ; helmet short and broad ; hairs of peduncles 

 arched ; ovaries smooth. 7f . H. Native on the Alps of Bern. 



A. Lycoctonum 9, latiflorum, Ser. mus. helv. 1. p. 135. D. C. 

 prod. 1. p. 58. 



Var. y, ramosissimum ; stem much branched, and is, as well as 

 the peduncles, smooth ; flowers yellow ; helmet conico-cylindri- 

 cal, compressed ; ovaries smooth. 7/ . H. Native of the Alps 

 of Bern. A. Lycoctonum i, ramosissimum, Ser. in D. C. prod. 

 1. p. 58. 



Var. S, Seringei ; flowers panicled, yellow ; helmet elongated, 

 cylindrical, inclined, deformed ; stem and peduncles smoothish ; 

 spur broad ; leaves large, smoothish. If. . H. Native of the 

 Alps of Bern. A. Lyc6ctonum, var. Ser. mus. helv. 1. p. 137. 

 D. C. prod. 1. p. 58. last variety. 



Female's-bane Aconite.. Fl. Jul. Aug. Clt. 1821. PI. ^ to 6 ft. 



76 A. LYCO'CTONUM (Lin. spec. 532. Rchb. ill. t. 52.) spur 

 subannular ; bottom of helmet cylindrical ; beak elongated, 

 stretched out ; middle and lower sepals equal in length. I/ . H. 

 Native of Lapland, Sweden, Norway, &c. A. Lycoctonum, var. 

 fl. caer. Strom, scand. 1. p. 67. Gunn. norv. no. 14. Oed. fl. 

 dan. t. 123. Wahl. Lapp. 275. A. septentrionale, Kcelle, 

 spicel. p. 22. no. 9. D. C. syst. 1. p. 370. Stem slender, sim- 

 ple, quite upright, pubescent. Leaves large, 7-parted. Racemes 

 more or less pubescent, branched at the base. Flowers largeish, 

 of a livid-violet colour. Ovaries 3, smooth. 



A decoction or the powder of the root of this plant is used 

 for destroying flies and other insects. Linnaeus gives an account 

 of its being eaten in Medelpadia, a province of Sweden, without 

 injury. It seems indeed to be milder than some of the other spe- 

 cies ; and goats and horses are said to eat it. 



True Wolfs-bane Aconite. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1596. PI. 

 4-6 feet. 



Cult. All the species of Aconite are of easy culture. They 

 are very ornamental, and are well adapted for ornamenting flower 

 borders. Most of them will grow under the shade of trees, 

 therefore they are proper to plant in ornamental , woods and wil- 

 dernesses. They are easily increased by separating the roots or 

 by seeds. 



Plants referred to Caltha by F. Hamilton, M.D., to which, 

 from the descriptions, they do not appear to belong. We there- 

 fore propose the name Nirbisiafor the genus. 



XXIX. (2) NIRBFSIA (Nirbishi or Nirbikhi, the aboriginal 

 name of one of the species). Caltha Hamilt. in edinb. jour, 

 scienc. vol. 1. Aug. 1824. p. 249. 



LIN. SYST. Polydndria, Tetragynia. Calyx of 4, ovate, con- 

 cave, thick, obtuse, coloured, petal-like sepals. Petals wanting. 

 Stamens numerous, very short. Ovaries 4, awl-shaped. Styles 

 thick, awl-shaped, crowned by simple, acute stigmas. Capsules 

 4 awl-shaped, many-seeded. Smooth plants with tuberous roots, 

 cordate or peltate alternate leaves and terminal panicles of small 

 greenish or yellowish flowers. Qualities poisonous. 



1 N. BI'SMA ; stem simple, smooth ; cauline leaves numerous, 

 stalked, cordate, roundish, smooth, somewhat 5-nerved and veiny, 

 5-lobed ; lobes cuneated, cut at the apex ; petioles very long, 

 stem-clasping at the base. % . F. Native of Nipaul on the 

 Himalaya Mountains at the river Kosi. Caltha Bisma, Hamilt. 

 1. c. Panicle terminal ; peduncles elongated, few-flowered, rising 

 from the top of the stems or from the axils of die upper 

 leaves. Bracteas sessile, trifid, small, situated a little below the 

 flower. Flowers small, erect, green, blackish on the outside. Se- 

 pals 4, thickish, rude. Bishma, Btkhma, Bish, or Bikh, is the 

 name of the plant in Nipaul. 



The root of this plant is truly poisonous, and is used by the 

 inhabitants of Nipaul, near the river Kosi, (the Corkhalese) to 

 poison their darts, and they regard it as their most powerful 

 means of repelling the invasions of their enemies, by the fa- 

 cility with which they can impoison water with it. 



