N. 0. RANUNCULACEiE. 31 



is, however, introduced erroneously as A. Napellus. The poison- 

 ous principle is pseudoaconitine. The amount of pseudoaconitine 

 found in the tubers of this species may, according to Prof. 

 Dunstan, reach as much as 0*50 per cent (Stapf). 



24. A. laciniatum, Stapf. sp. nov. 



Vernacular name : — Kalo Bikhmo. 



Habitat: — Subalpine and Alpine Himalaya of Sikkim and 

 adjoining Tibet. 



Roots biennial, tuberous, paired ; daughter-tuber conic- 

 oblong, often rather drawn out into a slender point, 3*5-6 cm. 

 long, about 15-2 cm. thick, simple or divided, with filiform 

 root-fibres, which are generally not much thickened at the base, 

 brown externally, fracture whitish or pale brownish, almost 

 horny, taste indifferent or very slightly bitterish, followed by 

 a tingling sensation ; cambium continuous, forming a sinuous 

 ring in cross-section ; mother-tuber similar, usually much 

 shrunk and thinner. Innovation-bud an acute cone, up to 1 cm. 

 high, outermost scales are very short, clasping, soon decaying 

 after sprouting. Stem erect, stiff or flexuous, 6 to 9 dm. high, 

 simple terete, slender to rather robust, finely pubescent in the up- 

 per part, with adpressed reversed hairs, otherwise glabrascent or 

 quite glabrous and shining, drying usually chestnut-brown. 

 Leaves scattered ; basal 5-6, rarely 8, decayed at the time of 

 flowering, rather distant ; intermediate and upper leaves up to 

 10, approximate or congested, petioled, petioles rather slender, 

 25-7'5 cm. long ; blades somewhat fleshy, finely pubescent or 

 almost glabrous, reniform, rarely cordate-orbicular in outline, 

 with an usually wide and shallow sinus, 4-7, rarely to 10 cm., 

 from the sinus to the tip, 7-12 cm. across, 5-pedati-partite 

 almost to the base in the inner, to f-| in the outer incisions, 

 inner divisions sub-equal, rhomboid from a narrow cuneate 

 base up to 5 cm. wide, 3-lobed to the middle, lobes narrow, 

 inciso-dentate or laciniate, lacinias lanceolate or linear, acute 

 or acuminate, outermost divisions asymmetric, mostly unequally 

 2-lobed, otherwise similar to the inner, but smaller. Inflores- 

 cence racemose or usually loosely paniculate, few to many- 



