ACONITUM JAPON'ICUM. 
JAPAN ACONITUM. 
Class. Order. 
POLYANDRIA. TRIG YNIA . 
Natural Order. 
ranunculacea:. 
Native of 
Height. 
Flowers in 
Duration. 
Introduced 
Japan. 
6 feet. 
July to Sep. 
Perennial. 
in 1790. 
No. 783. 
The origin of the word Aconitum as far as known, 
is given under the species previously published. 
This is a bold-flowering handsome plant, re- 
quiring but the simplest management. It has 
brighter coloured flowers than most others; but, 
doubtless, like its allies, carries with it one of the 
most active of poisons. One species, the Aconitum 
lycoctonum, has been called Wolf’s-bane, from its 
having been used for the destruction of wolves. 
Again, the Aconitum ferox was employed in the 
late war, by the natives of Nepal, to poison their 
wells, on the approach of the British army. This, 
however, can afford no reasonable preventative to 
their cultivation, or we must discard many of our 
most beautiful plants. First of all, our common 
favourite laurel must be banished, for it contains a 
deadly poison. That almond-like odour emitted 
by its leaves, and sometimes transferred by the 
cook to her nicest preparations for the table, evinces 
the presence of a powerful poison — Prussic Acid, 
the smallest quantity of which, applied to the tongue 
of an animal, has destroyed life. The vapour of it 
arising out of a vial, was quickly fatal to a bird ; 
