BUTTERCUP FAMILY 



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I.* D. Ajdas (Larkspur). — About a foot high; leaves cut into 

 many linear lobes ; flowers 4 — 16 in a raceme, 1 in. across, blue, 

 white, or pink; fruit of 1 pubescent follicle. — A doubtful native, 

 though often in considerable quantity in sandy or chalky corn- 

 fields. — Fl. June, July. Annual. Several species are grown in 

 gardens. 



13. Aconitum (Monk's-hood). — Erect perennial herbs; leaves 

 palmately lobed ; flowers racemose, monosymmetric ; sepals 5, 

 petaloid, deciduous, the posterior one hooded ; petals 2 — 5, the 

 twc posterior ones tubular, with long claws, enclosed within the 



delphinium AJACIS {Larkspur). 



aconItum napellus {Monk's-hood). 



hooded sepal ; follicles 3 — 5. (Name classical, but of uncertain 

 origin.) 



1. A. Napellus (Monk's-hood, WolPs-bane). — 1 — 2 feet high; 

 rhizome fusiform, black ; leaf lobes pinnatifid ; raceme unbranched ; 

 flowers 1 — 1 \ in. across, purplish-blue. A common garden 

 plant, remarkable for the curious structure of its flower, especially 

 the hammer-like honey-containing petals enclosed under the hood. 

 The name Napellus is a diminutive of napus, the Latin for a 

 turnip, from the shape of the rhizome ; but the whole plant, and 

 especially this rhizome, is very poisonous. It derives its name of 

 Wolfs-bane from being used to poison the bait in wolf-traps. 

 — Damp shady places. — Fl. June — September. Perennial. 



14. Acivea (Baneberry). — Erect perennial herbs; leaves ter- 

 nately compound; flowers small, in crowded racemes; sepals 3 — 5, 

 c 2 



