RANUNCULACE^E. 89 



This species is not a native of the United States, but having been intro- 

 duced from Europe as an ornamental plant, it has become naturalised in 

 some places, especially in Virginia, where it was first noticed by Pursh. In 

 a wild state, the flowers are blue, but when cultivated, they are found of 

 various colours, usually, however, white, red, or blue. Although an annual, 

 the finest flowers are obtained from seed sown late in the summer or com- 

 mencement of autumn ; the young plants are not affected by the winter frosts, 

 and flower earlier and more vigorously than when wholly annual. All parts, 

 of the Lark-spur are endowed with an acrid and bitter principle, which is most 

 strongly developed in the seeds, which also contain much oil. The flowers, 

 by expression, furnish a blue pigment, which is permanent if alum be used as 

 a mordant. 



Medical Uses. — The Lark-spur was formerly in some repute as a medi- 

 cinal agent in a variety of diseases. The decoction of the flowers was con- 

 sidered as efficacious in affections of the eyes. A tincture of the seeds .has 

 also been recommended, in calculus, and as a vermifuge, and for the purpose 

 of destroying lice in the hair. It owes its active powers to the presence of a 

 peculiar principle, Delpkinia, first detected by MM. Lassaigne and Fenuelle 

 in the D. stapkisagria, and lately shown to exist in the present species by 

 Mr. T. C. Hopkins (Amer. Jour. Pharm. v. 1). The root is the only part 

 recognised as tjfficinal by the U. S. Pharmacopoeia, but is seldom or never 

 used. The D. stapkisagria^ the officinal species of the foreign Colleges, is a 

 native of the south of Europe, and is very showy and ornamental, but is 

 seldom cultivated in this country. It is possessed of the same properties as 

 the last, and in a higher degree. The seeds, under the name of Stavesacre, 

 have been long in use as a popular remedy against vermin in the hair, and 

 for the purpose of intoxicating fish. They were also recommended by the 

 earlier physicians as emetics, cathartics and diuretics, but from the occa- 

 sional violence of their action are now seldom prescribed. Their principal 

 use is in veterinary practice, to destroy vermin on horses and other animals. 



Aconitum. — Linn. 



Sepals petaloid, irregular, deciduous, the upper one helmet-shaped. Petals five, the 

 three lower minute, often converted into stamens; the upper pedunculate, recurved. 

 Carpels 3-5, many-seeded. 



The meaning of the generic name is by no means clear ; some writers 

 derive it from Acone, a town of Bithynia ; whilst others deduce it from a 

 Greek word, signifying without dust ; but the most probable idea is, that it 

 comes from axov*], a rock, the plant growing in rocky places. The species 

 are all perennial and herbaceous, and are natives of many parts of the world ; 

 four of them are indigenous to North America. They are all acrid and poi- 

 sonous ; but several of them are cultivated on account of the beauty of their 

 flowers. Much difference of opinion has prevailed among botanists respect- 

 ing many of the species, rendering it very difficult to ascertain to what plant 

 their descriptions refer. This is more particularly the case with those used 

 for medical purposes, and hence we find different species recognised as offi- 

 cinal by the pharmaceutical authorities of Europe and this country. But as 

 most, if not all, the species, are possessed of similar properties, and are in- 

 discriminately collected and employed, this uncertainty is not attended with 

 any real disadvantage. As the A. napellus is most generally recognised as 

 the officinal species, and was the first known, this only will be particularly 



