4 DICTIONARY OF POPULAR NAMES ACH-ROOT 



alternate, oblong, acuminate, coriaceous leaves, and loose 

 panicles of yellow flowers. Its fruit is the size of a peach, 

 rough yellow, and filled with sweet soft pidp of the same colour. 

 It is held in much esteem by the Peruvians. 



Ach-root, a name in India for the root of Morinda tindoria, a 

 small tree of the Cinchona family (Eubiacese). Used for dyeing. 



Aconite, a common name for the species of Aconitum, a large 

 genus of perennial herbs of the Buttercup family (Ranunculacese), 

 with smooth, palmate, long-stalked leaves. Flowers in spikes, 

 calyx coloured, the shape of a helmet, containing five or more 

 amorphous petals, and three ovaries, which become many- 

 seeded follicles. Principally natives of Europe and Northern 

 Asia. About a dozen species have been introduced and culti- 

 vated in gardens for their showy flowers, the most common 

 being A. Napellus, familiarly known as Monk's-hood and Wolf's- 

 bane. Its showy blue flowers make it a favourite in cottage 

 gardens, but it and its allies are poisonous in the highest degree, 

 accidents having occurred through eating the leaves for parsley, 

 and death having frequently occurred from using the roots in 

 place of horse-radish. This can only happen when the stalks 

 and leaves have decayed, the two plants being totally unlike 

 one another, and the roots are very dissimilar ; tlie mistakes 

 have generally been caused through ignorance in digging up the 

 roots of Aconite instead of horse-radish. Much might be done 

 to prevent such mistakes by exhibiting in schoolrooms the 

 figures of the two plants, and the roots, their nature being ex- 

 plained by the teacher. Tlie chemical alkaloid called Aconitine 

 is obtained from the roots of this i^lant ; it possesses all the 

 virulent poisonous properties of the plant in a tenfold degree. 

 A. ferox is similar in habit to the preceding, native of Nepal 

 and some parts of the Himalayas. It is considered to exceed 

 the above in virulence, and is called by the natives Bish or 

 Bikh. They employ it to poison their arrows for shooting 

 tigers and other wild beasts, the least wound causing certain 

 death ; it is considered the most formidable poison in India. 

 Other allied species, natives of the Himalaya, are likewise strong 



