N. 0. RANUNCULACE^. 19 



base, 2*5 — 35 cm. wide, 3-lobed to or beyond the middle or 

 pinnate-laciniate, lobes or lacinias broad-linear, obtuse to shortly 

 acute 1*5-3 cm. long, 3-5 mm. broad, entire or the larger with 

 1-2 coarse teeth or linear lobules, outer divisions 2-fid beyond 

 the middle, inner segment 2-3-lobed, outer often entire, linear. 

 Inflorescence an erect dense or somewhat loose, terminal raceme 

 6-18 cm. long, or with additional branches from the upper leaves, 

 glabrous or sparingly softly pubescent ; lower bracts foliaceous, 

 3-partite, with mostly entire long linear segments, considerably 

 exceeding the pedicels, intermediate linear, entire, up to 2-5 cm. 

 long, upper filiform, short ; pedicels slender, erect or often 

 adpressed to the rhachis, lower 1'5 — 2*5 cm. long ; bracteoles 

 linear, above the middle of the pedicel, sometimes close to the 

 flower. Sepals blue, pubescent, ciliate ; uppermost helmet- 

 shaped ; helmet clawed, equally curved on the back and in front 

 (seen in profile), descending into a long slender beak, lateral 

 margin deeply concave, 16-18 mm. high, 12-15 mm. from the 

 tip to the base, 5-6 mm. wide at the top ; lateral sepals oblique, 

 obovate-orbicular, shortly clawed 13-17 mm. long, not conti- 

 guous with the helmet ; lower deflexed, sub-horizontal, elliptic to 

 oblong, obtuse or sub-obtuse, 10-15 mm. long. Nectaries 

 glabrous ; claw slender up to 12 mm. long ; hood erect, 5 mm. 

 long, top gibbous at the back ; lip oblong-ovate, crenulate, 

 as long as the hood. Filaments glabrous or sparingly hairy in 

 the upper part, 7-8 mm. long, winged below, wings gradually 

 or abruptly contracted. Carpels 3 lanceolate-oblong, gradually 

 passing into the style, somewhat diverging, glabrous or almost 

 so. Mature Follicles and seeds unknown. Young follicle 

 distinctly diverging, inserted on the enlarging torus. 



Use. — "The root does not appear to find its way to the 

 bazars of India. This species has not as yet been chemicall} 7 

 investigated, and it is just possible that it may be found to 

 contain aconitine." — (Watt). 



18. A. Ghasmanthum, Stapf. Annals Royal Bot. 

 Gard. Calcutta, Vol. X. pt. IT., p. 142. 



Vern. — Mohri (Jhelum Basin) ; Run (Jhelum Basin); Ban- 

 bal-nag (Kashmir.) 



