210 



ACONITUM 



p;irttxl, attractive; segms. much cut and divided: fls. 

 nuniorous, palo blue, panioleil. pwliools pubosecnt; 

 helmets hoinisphcrii-o-oonioiil. Autumn. N. Amcr. ami 

 Asia. F.S.K. \:2\\: K.B.:«: ■JO.'i (as .1. xiiinisis var. 

 blwlor). Var. Wilsonii (.1. W'iUonii. Stapf), is a very 

 tall form, with violet fls. H.H. I'JIU, p. 22:5. (in. W. 

 21 : 107. C,n. G4. p. 33i). B.M. 7130 Uis .1. Fischeri). 



Camminun, Linn. (.4. decorum, Reiohb. .4. exallii- 

 lum, Bernh.1. St. 3-4 ft.: Ivs. with short, bluntish lobes: 

 fls. purple or blue; panicles or loose spikes few-fkl; 

 helmet hemispherical, closed. July-Sept. Hungary. 

 Intro. 1SS9. — .4. Slorkiariiini, Reichb., is a dwarf form 

 of this, with fewer fis. and .somewhat fibrous roots. 



uncinatum, Linn. Wiu) Monkshood. Fig. 110. St. 

 Blender, 3-5 ft., inclined to climb: Ivs. thick, deeply cut 

 into 3-5 cut-toothed lobes: fls. loosely panided, but 

 crowded at the apex, blue, pubescent, 1 in. broad; hel 

 met erect, nearly as broad as Ions;, obtusely conica" 

 follicles 3. June-,Sept. Low grounds of Pa., S. and \V. 

 Japan. Mn. 4:81. — Much planted now. 



BB. Lis. divided lo the base. 

 variegatum, Linn. Erect, 1-6 ft.: Ivs. variously di- 

 vided into usually broad lobes and cut divisions; lower 

 petioles long, others short or none: fls. in a looise pani- 

 cle or raceme, blue, varying to whitish, rather smooth; 

 helmet higher than wide, top curved forward; visor 

 pointed, horizontal or ascending. July. 

 Eu. — -4. (ilbuiii, Ait., is a pure white-fid. - ii ^ 

 form of this, with rather fibrous roots. A. 

 volitbile, var. lalisiclum, Hort., is a twin- 

 ing form of A. variegaium. The plants are 

 allowed to ramble naturally or to climb 

 on arbors; height S ft. Var. tennisectum, 

 Hort. Sts. .slender though not twining: 

 large blue fls. Manchuria. 



.\A. Roots long-tuberous. 

 B. Carpels usually 5. 

 japonicum, Decne. St. erect, 3-4 ft., 

 smooth: Ivs. dark green, shining, petioled; 

 lobes 2-3 times cut, the parts blunt and 

 deeply toothed: fls. large, deep blue or 

 violet, tinged with red, on loose panicles 

 with a.scending branches; hehnet conical; 

 beak abrupt Iv pointed: follicles 5. July- 

 Sept. Japan.' Intro. 1SS9. R.H. 1851, p. 

 475. \'ar. caertlleum, Hort. Fls. very 

 panicles shortened. 



BB. Carpels 3 or 4. 

 Napellus,' Linn. (.4. tauricum, Ja,cq. A. pyramidale, 

 Mill. A. inunctum, Koch). True 

 Monkshood. Officinal Acon- 

 ite. Fig. 111. The best known 

 and most poisonous species, and 

 used in medicine. Sts. erect, 3-4 

 ft.: Ivs. divided to the base, and 

 cleft 2-3 times into linear lobes: 

 fis. blue, in a raceme; pcdunck-s 

 erect, pubescent; helmet broad 

 and low, gaping, smoothish: fr. 

 3-4-celled. June, July. On. M. 

 4:34. R.V. 8:2. On. 12, p. 3G2.— 

 Very many varieties, differing in 

 shade of fls., often mottled or 

 hned with white. Var. album is 

 nearly white. Var. bicolor and 

 var. versicolor, much used 

 in gardens for the large blue 

 , and white fls. Reichenbach 

 has divided this species into 

 20-30 species. A. Hdlleri 

 is one of his divisions ap- 



Aconitum NapeUus. Pefri^K '" catalogues. B.M. 



f / \i) 8152 fas var. hmnicus). 



r 



no. Aconitum 

 uncinatum. 



abundant; 



111 



ACORUS 



K.KK. Roots in the form of a scaly, elongated bulb, 



or somewhat fibrous. 



B. Sepals deciduous. 



autumnale, Reichb. Autumn Aconite. Fig. 112. St. 



3-5 ft.: Ivs. pedately .5-lobed: fls. in a simple spike, 



becoming a panicle, blue, lilac, or whitish; helmet 



closed. Sept.-Nov. N. China. 



Lycoctonum, Linn. (^1. barba- 

 tiim, Patr. .1. iK/uarrdsum, A. 

 ochrohucum, Willd.). Pale Yel- 

 low Wolfsbane. St. slender, 

 simple, 3-6 ft.: Ivs. deeply cut 

 into 5-9 lobes; long petioles and 

 under ribs pubescent: fls. yellow 

 or whitish, in racemes; helmet a 

 pinchonl elongated cone; middle 

 sepals usually bearded: fr. usually 

 :i-cclled. June-Sept. Eu., Siberia. 

 B.xM.2570. G.M. 34:124. 



BB. Sepals persistent. 

 Anthdra, Linn. (A. pyrenaicum, 

 Pall.). St. 1-2 ft.: Ivs. parted 

 almost to the base, parts deeply 

 cut and lobed, more or less hispid 

 beneath, smoothish above; peti- 

 oles long : fls. in lateral and termi- 

 nal racemes, pale yellow, often 

 large; racemes or panicles gener- 

 ally pubescent; spur bent back or 

 hooked; helmet arched, but cylin- 

 drical at base: follicles 5. June, 

 July. S. Eu. B.M. 2654. Var. 

 aureum, Hort., and several 

 ^5,. other varieties. 



\^^^ A. chinknse, Sicb. Deep blue 



'. *» spike of fls. from tlic axil of every 

 ^ If.: foliage bold and handsome. 

 B.M. 3852. P.M. 5:3.— A. ddphini- 

 fdlium. DC. Allied to A. Napel- 

 lus. — .4. gymndndrum, Maxim., is 

 a good species. B.M. 8113. — A. 

 Hcmsleyimum, E. Pritz. Sts. twining and ram- 

 bling. China. R.B. 33, p. 328. G. 32:39.— A. 

 helerophi/Uum.WM. Fls. yellow and violet. Lsed 

 as a tonic medicine in India. B.M. G092. — A, 

 noveboracriise. Gray. ProbabIy=.^. paniculatum. 

 — .1. paniculatum, Lam. (\. toxicum, Reichb.). 

 Has blue fls. L.B.C. 9:810.— .I. pyramidale. 

 Mill. Form of A. Napellus. — .1. recliitalum. 

 Gray, of the .Mleghanics, with white Us. and 

 large Ivs., is worth cult. — .4. scapdsum var. 

 pyramiditle, Franch. Lvs. broadly o-lobed: fls. very numcrou.s, 

 %-l in. long, heliotrope, greenish yellow at the throat. Cent. China. 

 — .4. septcutrioliale var. carpdticum, Sims, is a beautiful purple 

 kind closely related to A. Lycoctonum. B.M. 210fi. — A. Stork- 

 ianum. Hort., may be a form of A. variegatum, with the lvs. so 

 much cut up as to give a pinnate form. — A. torludsum, Willd. Once 

 listed in the trade; not now found. j^_ Q_ DaVIS. 



ACORUS (ancient name of unknown meaning). 

 Aracca. Hardy, herbaceous water-loving plants. Lvs. 

 sword-shaped, erect: spadix appearing lateral, with no 

 true Kjiathe; fls. inconspicuous. 'Ihey thrive best in 

 moist soil, and may be grown in shallow water or on dry 

 land. Prop. ea.sily in spring or autumn by division. 



Calamus, Linn. Sweet Flag. Height 2 ft.: root- 

 stock horizontal, pungent, aromatic: fls. early summer. 

 X. Amer., Eu. V. 2:198. Var. variegatus, Hort. Lvs. 

 striped deeji yellow when young, fading to a paler color 

 later in summer. Eu. — Commoner in cult, than the 

 type. 



gramineus, Soland. Height 8-12 in. Much smaller 

 than A. Calamun, forming comp.act, grassy tufts. 

 Japan. Var. variegatus, Hort. Lvs. striped white. — 

 llst'd in hanging-baskets, vases, rockeries and for cut- 

 ting. Often grown indoors. 



A. jnpdnicua aTuftitiri-strialus, Hort., and A. japdnicus JMia 

 varitanlux. Hort., are catalogue names, and are referable, from de- 

 scription, to A. gramineus, Soland. var. variegatus, Hort. 



Georoe v. NASH.t 



