base, 2·5—3·5 cm. wide, 3-lobed to or beyond the middle or pinnate-laciniate, lobes or laciniæ broad-linear, obtuse to shortly acute 1·5-3 cm. long, 3-5 mm. broad, entire or the larger with 1-2 coarse teeth or linear lobules, outer divisions 2-fid beyond the middle, inner segment 2-3-lobed, outer often entire, linear. Inflorescence an erect dense or somewhat loose, terminal raceme 6-18 cm. long, or with additional branches from the upper leaves, glabrous or sparingly softly pubescent; lower bracts foliaceous, 3-partite, with mostly entire long linear segments, considerably exceeding the pedicels, intermediate linear, entire, up to 2-5 cm. long, upper filiform, short; pedicels slender, erect or often adpressed to the rhachis, lower 1·5—2·5 cm. long; bracteoles linear, above the middle of the pedicel, sometimes close to the flower. Sepals blue, pubescent, ciliate; uppermost helmet-shaped; helmet clawed, equally curved on the back and in front (seen in profile), descending into a long slender beak, lateral margin deeply concave, 16-18 mm. high, 12-15 mm. from the tip to the base, 5-6 mm. wide at the top; lateral sepals oblique, obovate-orbicular, shortly clawed 13-17 mm. long, not contiguous with the helmet; lower deflexed, sub-horizontal, elliptic to oblong, obtuse or sub-obtuse, 10-15 mm. long. Nectaries glabrous; claw slender up to 12 mm. long; hood erect, 5 mm. long, top gibbous at the back; lip oblong-ovate, crenulate, as long as the hood. Filaments glabrous or sparingly hairy in the upper part, 7-8 mm. long, winged below, wings gradually or abruptly contracted. Carpels 3 lanceolate-oblong, gradually passing into the style, somewhat diverging, glabrous or almost so. Mature Follicles and seeds unknown. Young follicle distinctly diverging, inserted on the enlarging torus.
Use.—"The root does not appear to find its way to the bazars of India. This species has not as yet been chemically investigated, and it is just possible that it may be found to contain aconitine." —(Watt).
18. A. Chasmanthum, Stapf. Annals Royal Bot. Gard. Calcutta, Vol. X. pt. II., p. 142.
Vern.—Mohri (Jhelum Basin); Piun (Jhelum Basin); Ban-bal-nag (Kashmir.)
