119 ANNALS OF ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. 
The only reliable character by which A. palmatum can be distinguished from A. ferox is the form 
of the seed and the width of the transverse wrinkles; but sometimes the wrinkles of the seeds of А, 
palmatum are rather wider than they are commonly; so that it appears preferable to consider A. 
palmatum a subspecies of A. feroz, The geographical distribution of the two is about the same. 
Prate 111. Aconitum ferox, Wall. (A) flowering plant of subsp. moschatum, from Kashmir. 1, flower of subsp. 
moschatum, cut longitudinally. 2—10, flowers, natural size, 2—8 of A. ferox proprium; 2, var. navicularis, Chumbi; 
3, var. eymbiformis, Tha-pa, Sikkim; 4, var. flavidiflora, Jongri; 5, var. flavidiflora, Me-rik-lä; 6, var. spicata, Tsang, 
Tibet; 7, тағ. laciniata, Cho-la, Sikkim; 8, var. laciniata, To-ko-la, sepals dark гей; 9, subspecies palmatum, Güp, 
Phari. 10, subspecies palmatum, Phullüt; 11—19, nectaries: 11—13 of A. palmatum: 11, Nipal; 12, Сар; 13, Tonglü. 
14—19 of А. ferox proprium: 14, var. navicularis, Kung-met; 15, var. atrox, Garhwal; 16, var. Zaxiflora, Sandakphü; 
17, var. laciniata, Cho-lä; 18, var. heterophyllosdes, Singalelà; 19, var. flavidiflora. 20—25, ripe follicles: 20, A. 
moschatum; 21, A. ferox spicata; 22, A. ferox flavidiflora; 23, А. ferox atrox; 24, 25, A. palmatum 26—31, seeds: 
26, A. moschatum; 27. A. ferox flavidiflora ; 28, А. ferox laxiflora; 29, A. feros spicata; 30, A. ferox laciniata; 31, 
А. palmatum, Sikkim. 
Aconitum LURIDUM, H. f. ei T. 
(Hook. fil. Flora Indica 55; Flora of Brit. Ind., vol, I, р. 28.) 
Khizome irregularly cylindrical; stems simple, erect; leaves subreniform, palmately 
tripartite or trisect with the segments deeply cleft and incised-serrate; inflorescence 
racemose, many-flowered, axis densely hairy; posterior sepal with hemispherical dorsal 
prominence and long produced beak; base of stamens enclosed; nectaries mallet-shaped 
with oblong bifid labellum and short broad claw; follicles 3, ovoid; seeds three-sided, 
with convex back and the dorsal edges winged, otherwise smooth. 
` Distribution : Alpine regions of Sikkim and Chumbi. On Phulut, at the To-ku-lä, 
Zé-lap-la, Tang-ka-la (King’s collectors !), Tankra et Cho-la (Hooker fi.!); in Chumbi, 
near Tuck-e-kung (King’s collectors !). Flowers in August and September. 
Descrivtion—Rhizome often branched, covered near the apex with the bases of 
fallen leaves. Stems slender, subcylindric, when flowering 36—70 (even 90) cm. long; 
near the base 3—5 mm. thick, beset with spreading hairs. Infra-floral leaves crowded 
near the base; blade in the outline suborbicular or reniform, cordate at the base ; 25—8 
em. long, 8—10 em. broad, on the upper surface sub-adpressedly hairy, lower surface 
less hairy, nerves more densely pilose ; middle segment obovate oblong, broad-cuneate, 
upwards deeply pinnately trifid; lateral segments trapezoidal, unequally bipartite, inner 
division similar to the middle segment, outer shorter unsymmetrically bifid ; all segments 
coarsely crenate-serrate, serratures apiculate; petioles moderately dilated at the base, 
canaliculate, hairy, basal ones 20—30 cm. long. Inflorescence usually simple, sometimes 
with a few spreading, lateral branches, 8—40 em. long; floral leaves gradually dimin- 
ishing from the lowermost tripartite to the uppermost linear-lanceolate one. 198 
usually shorter than bracts and flowers, densely hairy, 0:5—1 mm. thick; bracteoles 
above the middle of the pedicel, opposite, narrow-laneeolate, 2—3 mm, long. Sepals 
brownish-purple, or pale red, inside sometimes yellowish ; posterior one subcompressed, 
densely hairy, 6—8 mm. high, 10—19 mm. wide with the dorsal process dome-shaped 
and either hemispherical or hemispherical with short cylindric base, process 4—6 mm. high, 
5—6 mm. wide; beak horizontal or a little descendent, obtuse at the apex, sinuate at the 
margin; lateral sepals obovate cuneate somewhat asymmetric, 9—11 mm. long, 7—8 mm. 
broad, outside hairy, inside hairy near the end of middle nerve, otherwise hairy or 
glabrous; anterior sepals 7—8 mm. long, obtuse, one obovate, the other subspatulate. 
