ACINETA 



ACONITUM 



209 



the lip fleshy, the lateral lobes obliquely reniform, the midlobe 

 oblong, blunt. S. Amer. B.M. 8392. — A. sulcatn, lieichb. f. FI3, 

 yellow: otherwise similar to .\. Humboldtii. 



George V. Nash, t 



AdPHYLLA (Greek for sharp-leaved). Umbelliferx. 

 About a dozen or so herbs, all of New Zealand except 2 

 in the nits, of Austral., sometimes seen in rock-gardens 

 but apparently not grown in N. Amer. Plant erect, and 

 rigid, somewhat spiny, with thick pinnate Ivs., and 

 the small fls. in compoimd bracted umbels. Some of 

 them are large plants. Allied to Ligusticum. 



ACIS; Leucojum. 



ACOCANTHERA (mucronale anthers). Sometimes 

 spelled Acoknnthcra. Syn., Toxicophloea. Apocynacea:. 

 A genus consisting of 5 species of African shrubs, 

 cult, in greenhouses N., and outdoors in Fla. and Cahf. 

 Fls. with the odor of jasmine, lasting; calyx 5-part«d, 

 glandless; corolla 5-parted, its .5 lobes twisted. In 

 Cent. Fla., they require some protection during the 

 winter. Prop, by cuttings taken early in the spring. 



spectabilis, G. Don (Toxicophloea specldhilis, Sond. 

 T. Thunbergii, Hort., not Harv.). Winter-Sweet. 

 Lvs. 3-5 in. long, short petiolate, leathery, elliptic, 

 acute, shining above: fls. mmierous, in dense, axillary, 

 branched cymes, which are sometimes 2 ft. long, pure 

 white, very sweet-scented: fr. blackish purple, 

 almost as large as an ohve and of the same form; con- 

 tains one large, nut-like seed. Natal. B.M. 63.59. 

 R.H. 1879:270. G.F.6:1S5. G.C. 1872:. 363.— Poison- 

 ous. The plants cult, under this name are said by 

 trade catalogues to have pink or violet fls. 



venenata, G. Don (Toxicophloea cestroules, DC. T. 



Thunbergii, Harv., not Hort.). Bushman's Poison. 



Fls. white or rose. Differs from the above in the well- 

 marked venation 

 of the lvs., its fls. a 

 third smaller, its 

 calyx not pubes- 

 cent, and its 

 corolla -limb less 

 widely spreading. 

 I. H. 32 ; .5.53. 

 R.H. 1880:370. 



N. TAYLOR.f 



AC(ELORRHAPHE (name 

 of uncertain origin). Pal- 

 macfie, tribe Corijphese. A 

 genus of 2 species of 

 American palms allied to Brahea 

 and distinguished from it by techni- 

 cal characters of the albumen. A. 

 Wrightii, Wendl., a graceful, slender 

 palm with almost orbicular-bladed 

 lvs.: trunk thin, scarcely exceeding 

 4-7 ft . : lvs. long-petiolcd, made up of 

 about .50 narrow segms., all united 

 at the base. Cuba and Honduras. 

 — Has been cult, outdoors at the 

 botanic gardens at Buitenzorg and 

 Calcutta and in extreme S. Fla. 

 Unique but little known outside of 

 botanic gardens. Grows with great 

 vigor in rich moist soil. 



N. Taylor. 



ACONITE. WINTER: EranthU. 



ACONITUM. Ranunculacese. 

 Aconite. Monkshood. Wolfs- 

 bane. A group of hardy ornamen- 

 tal, perennial herbs, much used in 

 borders and masses for their showy 

 109. Acineu Barkeri. flo"<'rs and efl'ect ive foliage. 



(xJi) Root tuberous, turnip-shaped, or 



14 



108. Acidanthera bicolor. ( X M) 



thick-fibrous: st. taU or long, erect, ascending or trail- 

 ing: lvs. pal mately divided or cleft and cut-lobed: fla. 

 large, irregular, showy; sepals 5, the large upper sepal 

 in shape of a 

 hood or h e 1- 

 met; petals 2-5, 

 smaU; stamens 

 munerous ; car- 

 pels 3-5, ses- 

 sile, m a n y - 

 ovuled, form- 

 ing follicles 

 when ripened. 

 The number of 

 species varies 

 from 18-80, with 

 different botan- 

 ists. Native in 

 mountain re- 

 gions of Eu., 

 Temp. Asia, and 

 5 in N. Amer. 

 Reichenbach 

 Monographia 

 Generis Aconiti, 

 Leipsic, 1820, 

 2 vols., folio; 

 Illustratio Spe- 

 cierum Aconiti, 

 Leipsic, 1822-7, 

 folio. Many spe- 

 cies are planted 

 in Euro])ean gardens, but only a few have been much 

 used in Amer. 



The aconitums yield important drugs, although 

 none of them is grown for this purpose in this country. 

 The officinal aconite is derived from the roots of A. 

 Napellus from England and continental Europe. The 

 leaves are also used for medicinal purposes. A. japoni- 

 cum yields Japanese aconite; A. chinense. the Chinese 

 aconite; and A. ferox the "bish" or Nepaul aconite. 

 The poisonous alkaloid aconitin is secured from A. 

 Napellus, and similar alkaloids from A. ferox, A. luri- 

 duni and A. palmaium, of India, A. Fiacheri, A. Lycoc- 

 to/mm, A. seplentrionale. Not all these species are 

 described here, as they are not horticultural subjects. 



These plants present a pleasing contrast to the yel- 

 low helianthus and rudbeckias, the white of Phlox 

 paniculdta, to Chrysanthemum maximum and Anemone 

 japonica. They are also effective for mixing in on 

 shrub borders. The first season, these herbs do not 

 attain their fuU perfection. Aconitums should be left 

 undisturbed as long as possible. They will survive the 

 northern winters if kept under a leaf-covering, while for 

 the central part of the country, straw or evergreen 

 boughs are sufficient protection. 



The foUowing species do well in any garden land, but 

 respond better if given very rich soil. They thrive in 

 open sun, but flowers last longer in shaded places. 

 Aconites should never be planted in or too near the 

 kitchen-garden or the children's garden, as the roots 

 and some of the flowers have a deadly poison. They are 

 suited to the back of the border, as they are tall. 



Propagation is effected e;isily by division of roots in 

 cither late fall or early spring; also by seeds sown as 

 soon as mature, in warm spring, in the North, the 

 seeds may be started in small seed-beds in the spring 

 and then be transplanted when the seedlings are about 

 2 inches high. In the Central States and southward, 

 a year is gained by sowing the seed in late summer or 

 earl}- fall. 



A. Roots globular-tuberous. 

 B. Lvs. deeply cut, but not to the base. 

 Fischeri, Reichb. (A. columbianum, Nutt. A 

 fornicum, Hort.). Sts. 4-6 ft.: lvs 



cali- 

 large, smooth, 3- 



