N. 0. RANUNCULACEiE. 33 



glabrous on the uppermost part, pubescent from minute 

 adpressed reversed hairs. Basal leaves unknown ; intermediate 

 and upper leaves scattered, petioled ; petioles slender, up to 

 5 cm. long ; blades shining, bright green above, pale below, 

 glabrous or scantily pubescent in the nerves below, cordate, 

 rotundate in outline, with a wide sinus or reniform, 3-partite 

 to | (or the small leaves of the branches 5-lobed to the middle), 

 intermediate divisions narrow, obovate-cuneate, almost 5 cm. 

 long, up to 1'8 cm. broad, lateral divisions trapezoid, up to 

 3*5 cm. long, unequally divaricate- 2-lobed to the middle, all 

 coarsely dentate, teeth apiculate. Inflorescence slightly pubes- 

 cent ; panicle few-flowered, says Hooker. Flowers large, greenish- 

 blue (Hooker) ; bracts foliaceous 3-lobed, lobes sparingly 

 dentate; pedicels long, more or less red need, near the flower. 

 Sepals slightly pubescent, uppermost helmet-shaped, helmet 

 semi-orbicular elliptic in profile, 18-20 mm. high, 18-20 mm. 

 from tip to base, 12 mm. broad, lateral oblique, orbicular-ovate, 

 shortly and broadly clawed up to 16 mm. long, 10-12 mm. broad ; 

 lower deflexed, broad elliptic sub-obtuse, up to 16 mm. long. 

 Nectaries glabrous, claw erect, obloug, shortly spurred from the 

 top, 6 mm. long, lip broad, 2-lobed. Filaments glabrous, 8-9 

 mm. long, winged to or beyond the middle, wings gradually 

 or suddenly contracted. Carpels 5, obliquely oblong, sparingly 

 pubescent (Stapf), Follicles 1-1 \ in. long, glabrous (Hooker). 

 Testa plaited (Hooker). 



Properties and uses : — This is, according to Griffith, the 

 source of the celebrated Bhi or Bis poison of the Mishmis. 



The pharmacology of Indaconitine and Bikhaconitine. 



Indaconitine, an alkaloid obtained from Aconitum Ghasman- 

 thum, yields, on partial hydrolysis, acetic acid and benzoyl- 

 pseudoaconine ; the latter substance splits up on further hydro- 

 lysis into benzoic acid and pseudoaconine. 



Bikhaconitine, from A. Spicatum (A. ferox, var. Spicatum), 

 yields, under the same conditions, acetic acid, veratric acid, 

 and a pseudoaconine, identical with that obtained from inda- 

 conitine. 



5 



