Aconitum, of Yeso, Saghaline and 

 the Kuriles. 



By '. 



Takenoshin Xakai, Rigakuhakushi. 



The mode of dissection of the leaves, nature of the stem, length of 

 the peduncles and pedicels, shape of the roots, pubescence of the ovary, 

 shape of the hoods etc. — all these characters are variable in the genus 

 Aconitum, and individually of little or no value in distinguishing close- 

 ly allied species. The late Sir J. D. Hooker classed the majority of 

 Asiatic species, belonging to section Napcllus, under Aconitum Fischcri, 

 and to botanists who have not personally seen the Asiatic species in 

 their native haunts and have studied only dried specimens, their real 

 characters are not comprehensible. 



The characters which Reiciienhacii adopted in his ' Illustratio 

 generis Aconiti ' are too trivial for the European species though good 

 and precise for the Asiatic species. In consequence of this halfway 

 failure, REGEL undervalued the Asiatic species described by Reiciienhacii, 

 otherwise he would not have reduced the species in the manner lie did. 

 Serinoe criticized as ' C'est an des plus miserables ouvrage, qui aient 

 paru depuis longtetnps. 1 Gayer Gyui.a disapproved like ' Reiciienhacii 

 hat besonders in zwei Richtung gefehlt. Der cine Pehler war, dass 

 nachdem er in die minutiose Gliederang der Gattung eingegangen ist, 

 er die Methode <\k-v detaillierten Beschreibungen Miner Monographia 

 generis Aconiti in dm Bpateren Werken weggelassen mid die Beschrei- 

 bungen oft so rednciert hat, dass die riehli-e Brkennung der betreffenden 

 I'flan/.e h, ; iufig selir crseliwert wild, weiin uns danu aneli nO'ch sein 



Herbar in Stiche l. : i^st , ist si<- oft fasst unmoglich Die iibrigeri Pehler, 



