Page:Indian Medicinal Plants (Text Part 1).djvu/112

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INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS.

flowered, finely greyish pubescent, with adpressed curved hairs; lower bracts similar to the preceding leaves, but smaller and less dissected, intermediate and upper lanceolate, sparingly laciniate or the uppermost entire and very narrow; pedicels ascending, slender, lowest 3·5-5 (rarely 7·5) cm. long, upper much shorter; bracteoles herbaceous, resembling the upper bracts. Sepals saturated red-purple or dark-red, finely pubescent; uppermost helmet-shaped, helmet erect or sub-erect, equally curved in front and on the back, or slightly concave in front, produced into a short lip or beak, about 20 mm. high and 20 mm. from the tip to the base, 9-13 mm. wide, claw broad, snort; lateral sepals oblique, sub-orbicular, ciliate, 14-16 mm. long, broadly and obscurely clawed; lower deflexed or sub-horizontal, oblong, obtuse, 12-14 mm. long. Nectaries hispidulous, at least below; claw slightly curved, about 12 mm. long; hood sub-erect or slightly leaning forward, 6 mm. long, gibbous or almost spurred on the back, close to the apex, lip short or elongate, rather broad, 2-lobed. Filaments hispidulous in the upper part, 7 mm. long, winged up to or beyond the middle, wings gradually or abruptly running out. Carpels 3, rarely 4 or 5, conniving in the flower, oblong, attenuate into a slender, finely curved style, densely and adpressedly pubescent. Follicles at first divergent, then conniving, contiguous, linear-oblong, more or less convex on the back, 18-25 mm. long, 5-6 mm. wide, finely pubescent. Seeds obpyramidal, 3-gonous, 3 mm. long, brown, broadly winged along the rhaphe, with transverse, undulate, hyaline lamellæ.

Properties and uses:—According to Rogers, it forms, together with Bikh (A. spicatum) the article known as "Nepal Aconite."


25. A. lethale, Griff.

Syn.:—A. palmatum, Don. h. f. br. i., I. 28.

Vernacular name:—Unknown.

Habitat:—Higher parts of Mishmi Mountains.

Roots (according to Griffith) fusiform, whitish or brown, bearing root-fibres. Stem branched, flexuous, slender, terete,