N. 0. RANUNCULACE^. 21 



or almost glabrous ; uppermost helmet-shaped, helmet more or 

 less depressed into a distinct and often long and slender beak. 

 15-10 mm. high, 12-18 mm. long, from the tip to the base, 5-7 

 mm. wide (seen from the side), lateral margin conspicuously 

 concave, lateral sepals not contiguous with the helmet, except 

 near the base, obliquely suborbicular or almost square, shortly 

 or obscurely clawed, 12-15 mm.long and broad, lower sepals 

 oblong, obtuse, 9-12 mm.long. Nectaries extinguisher-shaped 

 glabrous, claw 5-6 mm. long, leaning forward in the upper part ; 

 hood short, wide, very obtuse, top slightly gibbous on the back, 

 honey-gland occupying the whole top or the gibbosity. Fila- 

 ments glabrous or very sparingly hairy, winged ; wings gradually 

 or abruptly attenuated. Carpels 5, glabrous, rarely or sparingly 

 hairy on the back, conniving abruptly, contracted into the short 

 style, back convex. Follides oblong, truncate, 10-16 mm. long, 

 contiguous or with slightly divergent tips, glabrous. Seeds 

 brown obovoid to obpyramidal, 3 5 mm. long, equally 3-winged, 

 wings thin, faces smooth. 



Properties aval uses. — The root contains, according to Profes- 

 sor Dunstan, aconitine, but in very small proportions. It seems 

 that it is sometimes used in Northern India as a substitute for 

 the imported tuber of Aconitum Napellus (Wall). 



Aconitum Chasmanthum, Stapf. — This was for sometime supposed to be the 

 European Aconitum Napellus, but is now known to be a distinct species. 

 The plant is known as ' Mohri.' 



The alkaloid which has been obtained from the plant proves to be excep- 

 tionally interesting, since it represents a compound intermediate between the 

 aconitine of the European Aconitum Napellus and the pseudo-aconitine of the 

 Indian Aconitum ferox. This alkaloid is named indaconitine. 



Properties. — Indaconitine is soluble in acetone, chloroform, alcohol, or 

 ether, but practically insoluble in light petroleum or water. 



By the addition of light petroleum to a solution of the base in alcohol, 

 chloroform, or ether, well denned crystals may be readily obtained. 



A peculiar property of indaconitine which sharply distinguishes it from 

 aconitine is its capability of crystallising in several forms from the same 

 solvent. The crystalline form appears to depend on the purit^y of the 

 substance and on the strength of the solution. By rapid crystallisation, the 

 base is deposited from ether in rosettes of needles, but if allowed to crystallise 

 slowly, or if the substance is not quite pure, it is obtained as transparent, 

 hexagonal prisms or large, irregular masses. If a somewhat concentrated 



