ACQ 



AGO 



ACONITI, ax9y*Ti, 13 an appe'lation given to fome of 

 the ancient ATHLKTiiE, but diirerently interpreted. Mcrcii- 

 rialis undcHlar.Js it of thofe who only anointed their bodies 

 with oil, but did not fmear themfelves over witli diiH, as was 

 the ufual pradice. Mr. lUirette will have it to fignify thofe 

 who conquered eafily without dull, q. d. ktoiuti, o;;xa,-^;i, 

 •with link trouble. 



ACONITON fignifies not plaiftercd, and is a name 

 given to veflTcls not hned within. 



^.<ZO'&\T\]^'\.,Acom!e,Wolfs.bane, ox Monh's-hood;\\\ Bo- 

 tany, a genus of plants of the tr[^yn'ui order and fo/yiiutfrta clafs, 

 and pertaining to the natural order of miiltifiUqine. Some 

 have derived its name from Acono;, a city of fiithynia, where 

 it grew in great abundance. Pliny afcribes its etyniolo£;y to 

 Axon!, a whetllone. But the moil probable origin of the 

 appellation is axon's,-, ivithout dujl; becaufe this plant grows 

 on rocks deftitute of foil, agri.«ably to tlio dcfcrlption of 



Ovid ; 



Oux quia nafcuntur dura vivacia caute, 

 Ajrrell 



elles Acor.tla vocant." 

 The charafters of this genus are, that it has no calyx : 

 the corolla conlills of live unequal petals, oppofite in pairs ; 

 the higheft being helmet -tubed, inverted and obtufe ; the 

 two lateral broad, roundilh, oppofite and converging ; ai'.d 

 the two loweft oblong, and bending downwards : the nec- 

 taries are two, concealed under the firll petal, fillulous, 

 nodding, with mouth oblique, and tail recurved, fitting on 

 long fubulate peduncles ; in the fame circle with the nec- 

 taries there are fr. little, very fliort, coloured fcales : the 

 ftamina are fubulate filaments, very fmall, broader at the bafe, 

 inclining towards the firll petal ; the anth^ra: are ereft and 

 fmall ; the pillillum liM three (five) oblong germs, ending 

 in ftyles the length of the ftamina ; the ft'igmas are fimple 

 and reflex : the pericarpium has as many capfules as the 

 ftyles, ovate-fubulate, flraight, one-valved, gaping inward : 

 the feeds are many, angular and wrinkled. The fpecies, 

 enumerated and described by Prof. Martyn in his edition of 

 Miller's Diclfonar)', areas follow: l. A. lycofJcniim, great 

 yellow monk's-hood, or wolf's-bane, of wliich there are 

 two varieties, viz. that of Linnsus with abluifli afti-coloured 

 flower, and the acomlum ahijjimum of Miller. The common 

 fort grows upwards of three feet high, but this, in gardens, 

 is above four feet ; its leaves are alio broader and Ymoqth, 

 and the fpikes of the flowers are longer. They both flower 

 about, the middle of June, and in a moderate feafon con- 

 tinue to blow till Auguft. In Sweden it is reckoned 

 among the earheft fpring flowers. The mountains of Sweden, 

 Lapland, Switzerland, Gennany, Auftria, Carniola, Italy 

 and Siberia produce it in a wild ftate ; and it was cultivated 

 in this country by Gerard in 1596. A decoaion, or 

 powder of the rgpt is ufed for deftroying flies and other in- 

 fecls ; but it is eaten in a province of Sweden without in- 

 jur)-. It is milder chan fome of the other fpecies, and eaten 

 by goats and horfcs. The ancients believed that it was 

 fatal to thofe who flept under it ; and they dipped their 

 •venomous arrows in the juice of it. See Smith's Lin- 

 niei. Flor. Lappon. p. 187. 2. A.japonlcum, or Ja- 

 panefe monk's-hood, is a native of Japan, where it is 

 called Soo Hufo. 3. A. nnhsUus, common monk's-hood or 

 volf's-bane, is found v^'ild in Sweden, Switzerland, France, 

 Germany, Auftria, Carniola, Italy, Siberia, and Virginia ; 

 and was cultivated here in 1596 by Gerard. It blows in 

 Auguft, and would merit a place in ever-y garden, if it were 

 not for its noxious quality, which renders it dangerous to 

 children and ignorant perfons. There are two°or three 

 varieties with white, rofe-colourcd, and variegated corollas. 

 The forts which have blue flowers are more powerful than 



3 



thofe with yellow or white flowers. The variety called bjr 

 Miller p\Tam'uhk is the inort coinmon in Englilh gardens, 

 being prefencd on account of the appearance of its long 

 fpikes of blue flowers, which are above tv.o feet long. The 

 plant riles to the height of near four feet, is hardy, and 

 will grow in any foil or utuation, and as it multiplies greatly 

 by its roots, it has been admitted into moft gardens and 

 plantations of fhrubs. It flowers in May and June ; and 

 the feeds ripen in September. 4. A. pyrenalciim, Pyrenneaii 

 or fennel-leaved monk's-hood, grows wild on the Pyrennees, 

 and alfo in TartaiT and Siberia, and was cultivated with us 

 in 1739 ^y ^^■'' M'lls''- It grows to the height of about 

 four feet, and the fpike nods before the time of flowering, 

 which in our gardens is July. This fpecies may be admitted 

 among Ihrubs, to v/hich children have no accefs. The four 

 j)receding fpecies of aconl'.e have three capfules, the follow- 

 ing have live. J. A. anihora, falutary monk's-hood, as it 

 h.as been erroneoully called, has a root confifting of from 

 two to four angular, flelhy, bulb:;, and a ftem which rifes 

 from a foot to 18 inches in height. The flowers, which 

 continue in beauty from tlie middle of Auguft to the middle 

 of September, though not fo large as fome of the other forts, 

 are of a fulphur colour, and make an agreeable appearance 

 in the borders of the flower garden. This fpecies grows 

 naturally in the Pyrennees, the Alps, Auftria, Siberia, &c. 

 and was cultivated here in 1 596 by Gerard. There 

 is a variety of this with a white flower. 6. A. i<arie- 

 gatum, variegated or fmall blue monk's-hood, is a native of 

 Italy and Bohemia, and was cultivated here in 1752 by 

 Mr. Miller. It flowers at the end of June, and feldom 

 grows to a greater height tlnn two feet, with fpikes of 

 flowers much ftiorter than thofe of the firft fort : the co- 

 rollas change from variegated to plain. 7. A. album, white 

 wolf's-bane, was found by Tounicfort in the Levant, and 

 firft raifed in the royal garden of Paris. Mr. Miller cul- 

 tivated it here in 1739, and fays, that he has feen it up- 

 wards of fix feet high ; and he charafterifes it by its tall 

 ftem, palmate leaves, and large white flower. 8. A. cam- 

 maruni, purple monk's-hood, has flowers of a paler blue, a 

 much longer helmet, and a fliorter raceme than the A. na- 

 pelliis. Its ftem is alfo higher, rlfing even to fix feet. This 

 fpecies is found wild in Switzerland, Auftria, Stiria, Pied- 

 mont, &c. and was cultivated in 1748 by Mr. Miller. 

 Hallcr found it with a white flower, and others have ob- 

 ferved it in Switzerland with flowers of a pale blue, varie- 

 gated with white. The variety named by Mr. Miller 

 A. alpinum, will grow in good ground to the height of five 

 feet, with large flowers of a deep blue colour. 9. A. un- 

 analum, American monk's-hood, is a native of Penfylvania, 

 with leaves approaching to thofe of the third fort, and blue 

 flowers refembling thofe of the laft. It was cultivated in 

 1770, by Mr. James Gordon. In the laft edition of Lin- 

 misus by Gmelin, this genus comprehends 14 fpecies ; the 

 five following being added to thofe above recited, viz. volu- 

 lile, feptentnonale, taur'icum, neoinor.tmuim, and cernuum. 



Calture. All the forts of monk's-hood are hardy peren- 

 nials, require little attention, and as they bear handfome 

 fpikes of flowers, are defirable plants for fhrubberies and 

 wildernefs quarters, where they are guarded from the ac- 

 cefs of tliofe v.'ho are unappriled of their pernicious qua- 

 lities. They are propagated by feeds, fown in autumn, in a 

 fhady utuation. The ground flioulJ be kept clean from 

 w-eeds, and the plants fhould be watered in diy v.-eather, till 

 they are St for being tranfplanted into (hady borders, at the 

 diftance of 14 inches. If they are watered till they have 

 taken root, they will require no other care, befides being 

 kept free from weeds till the following autumn, when they 



may 



