90 ANNALS ОҒ ROKAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. 
incised, lacinule unequally serrate; serratures callose-apiculate; upper leaves slightly 
less divided, uppermost often reduced to а small, ovate-lanceolate, very acute scale. 
Flowers unknown. Infructescence racemose, 20—30 em. long. Bracts deciduous. Heads 
of follicles about 6, lower consisting of 3, upper often of 2 or 1 follicle. Ре- 
duncles elongating, at first about 5, finally 10—15 mm. long, about 0'7 mm. thick, 
terete, torus forming a small knob. Follicles stipitate; stipes subterete, striated, thin, 
finally 10—12 mm. long; follicle proper cylindric. attenuated into the base, terminated 
by the short persistent style, without stipes 8—4 em. long, membranous, finely reticulate; 
sutures narrow, not prominent; persistent style little more than 1 mm. long, stigmatic 
surface thick, extending along the ventral suture, slightly recurved at the apox, seeds 
numerous, obovoid. 
Eastern Sikkim: at Nütat; Phari (Dungbu 7). 
Flowers just fallen in July; fruit ripens in August. 
This species agrees with Coptis brachypetala, Sieb. et Zuce., in the biternately divided leaves 
with pinnntifid segments, the partitions being again pinnatifid or incised-serrate, the serratures being 
acute. The authors state, however, that this species has long pedicelled flowers and that “ habitus 
omnino ut in C. asplenifblit, DO., sed segmenta foliorum profundius incisa, lobis plerumque 
augustioribus et minoribus." Та our species the lobes are much larger than in C. asplenifolia; in fact as 
regards the vegetative parts it stands nearer C. Теса than C. asplenifolia. From both it differs widely 
in the size and shape of the follicles. 
С. anemonefolia, Sieb. et Zucc., differs in the leaves being ternatisect instead of biternately divided, 
andthe peduncles being twice as long as the fruit. 
Indeed, an exam‘nation of the figures in Phonzo Zoufou, Vol. VII, proves clearly that our plant 
does belong to neither С. anemonefolia nor to C. brachypetala. It is, however, very closely related to 
Coptis orientalis, Maxim. То judge from Maximowiez's description and Phonzo Zoufou’s fig. tab. II 
versa, which Professor Huth doubtfully refers to C. orientalis, the leaves of the two species are nearly identical. 
A further po:nt of agreement between the two consists in the size of the follicles and the relative length 
of stipes and follicle proper. Professor Huth states that the follicle of C. orientalis is about 30 mm. long 
of which nearly 10 mm. are accounted for by the stipes. The longest follicles in our species are about 
45 mm. long, the stipes being 12—15 mm. The only essential difference between C. ospriocarpa and 
C. orientalis rests on the comparative length of fruit and pedicel. Maximowicz lays considerable stress 
on the relative length of fruit and pedicel. For he says :—©С. anemon:efolia а С, orientali differt 
pedunculis fructum ad summum duplo, in nostra (C. orientali) triplo quintuplove superantibus.’ In 
C. ospriocarpa the longest fruit-bearing pedicels are 17 mm. long, and about one-third the length of 
a stipitate follicle, but usually they are only $ or less. С. orientalis appears to have five or more carpels 
in one head. Our species has never more than three. There may, of course, exist other differences in the 
parts of the flower. 
Ргат 115. Coptis ospriocarpa, P. Brühl, fruiting specimen from Sikkim ; 1, very immature follicle; 2, ovary cut open ; 
3, seed; 4, scale from below inflorescence. 
LJ 
DELPHINIUM. 
Although it may be a matter of convenience to retain Aconitum as a separate genus, the characters 
which distinguish it from Delphinium are of so little weight that we cannot help agreeing with Baillon, 
who unites the two. On the one hand the posterior вера! of the extreme forms of Aconitum Lycoctonum 
is truly spurred, whilst in Delphinium Hohenackeri and allied forms it is more helmet-shaped than in many 
un aconite. „The only character which can be used to separate all the forms of Aconitum from those of 
Delphinium is the existence of a well-developed claw in the neetaries, tbe caw being never shorter than 
