N. 0. ItANUNOULACEiE. 
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 ; blad.es 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 g (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 reduced, 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, oblong, 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. 
Indaconiline, an alkaloid obtained from Aconitum Chasman- 
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 witli, that obtained from inda- 
conitine. 
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