I. R ANUN CUL ACEiE 
13 
leaves few, shortly stalked, upper sessile, more or less deeply 3- 
lobed, lobes narrow, mostly entire. Flowers few, scattered, 1-1J 
in. long, spur cylindric, nearly straight. Sepals spreading, varying 
from deep blue to faded grey. Petals blue, the lateral ones 
2-lobed, hairy. (Fig. 4.) 
Simla ; April- June.— W. Himalaya, 5000-10,000 ft. 
2. Delphinium vestitum, Wall. ; FI. Br. Ind. i. 26. Very 
hairy. Stems l|-3 ft., usually simple. Radical leaves orbicular, 
6-12 in. across, long-stalked, deeply 5-7-lobed, segments lobed, 
sharply toothed at the end. Stem-leaves similar but smaller. 
Flowers numerous, crowded, 1-1| in. long, spur conical, curved. 
Sepals dark blue, erect, tips converging. Petals dull bine, the 
lateral ones ovate, entire. 
Fagoo, Narkunda ; July. — W. Himalaya, 8000-1 2,000 ft. 
9. ACONITUM. Etymology obscure, perhaps from the Greek 
akonlion, a dart, referring to some species being used to poison 
arrows. — Mountains of the N. Hemisphere (Britain, Monkshood). 
Perennial erect herbs. Leaves alternate, simple, sometimes 
lobed. Flowers irregular, racemed. Sepals 5, petal-like, free, 
erect, the upper one helmet-shaped, the others flat, the two lateral 
broader than the 2 lower. Petals 2 or 4, concealed within the 
calyx, the 2 upper enclosed in the helmet, long-clawed with a 
short, concave, spurred limb ; the 2 lower very small or wanting. 
Stamens many, filaments flat, wide at the base, tapering upwards. 
Ovaries 3 or 5, sessile, many-ovuled, style short, straight. Folli- 
cles many-seeded. 
The roots of some species (though not of the two described) are poisonous. 
Honey is secreted in the spurred limb of the long-clawed upper petals. The 
manner of the cross fertilisation by humble bees is the same as in Delphinium. 
Stem -leaves stalked, deeply lobed. Flowers pale 
yellow . . . . . . . . 1. A. Lycoctonum. 
Stem-leaves sessile, not lobed. Flowers dull green- 
blue . . . . . . . . 2. A. heterophyllum. 
1. Aconitum Lycoctonum, Linn . ; FI. Br. Ind. i. 28. Pubescent, 
at least on the upper parts. Stem 3-6 ft., branched. Leaves 
orbicular, 6-12 in. diam., lobed nearly to the base, segments 5-9, 
lobed and sharply toothed ; lower leaves long-stalked, upper nearly 
sessile. Flowers 1 in. long, pale yellow. Helmet pointed in front 
and produced upwards in a high obtuse peak. Lateral sepals much 
shorter than the helmet. Follicles 3. 
Baghi forest ; June. — W. Himalaya, 8000-10,000 ft. — 1ST. Asia, Europe. 
2. Aconitum heterophyllum, Wall. ; FI. Br. Ind. i. 29. Glabrous 
or the upper parts downy. Stems 1-3 ft., leafy, rarely branched. 
Lower leaves stalked, orbicular or broadly ovate, cordate, more or 
