ACONITE (Aconitum), a genus of hardy herbaceous plants of the natural order Ranun culacea, long known for their poisonous prop erties. Many of them are of great beauty and several are cultivated, especially the common wolf's-bane or monk's-hood (A. napellus), so called from the form of its flowers, character istic of the genus, which are shaped like a helmet or hood. The United States has also several species growing wild. The wild monk's hood (A. uncinatum) is common in rich, shady soils along the margins of streams as far west as Wisconsin, its blue flowers being one of the marked features of the summer's bloom. Trailing wolf's-bane (A. reclinatum), a white flowered variety, grows in the southern Alle gbanies. The winter aconite (Eranthis), with yellow flowers, is common throughout the Ro Mountain regions extending to the Pacific coast. It is perhaps more closely re lated to the hellebores. These flowers hang
clustered round an upright stalk and make the aconite a very imposing plant. Some powerful medicines are prepared from the leaves and roots of monk's-hood. Applied externally they produce numbness of sensory nerves and are used to relieve pain in certain forms of neuralgia and in acute and chronic rheumatism. Given internally they diminish the force and frequency of the heart's action, render breath ing slower and are employed in acute fevers and inflammations. A poisonous dose causes cessation of breathing and of the heart's ac tion. Many of the plants of this genus are poisonous; common monk's-hood is very viru lent; but the most deadly seems to be the A. ferox, the bish, or bikh, of Nepal. The dif ferent species contain different but related alkaloids. See ACONITINE.