Aconitum ferox
Encyclopedia
Aconitum ferox also known as Aconitum virorum is a species of monkshood, in the family Ranunculaceae
. It is also known as the Indian Aconite
. Abundant at Sandakphu, which is the highest point of the Darjeeling Hills in the India
n State of West Bengal
.
A deciduous
perennial that grows up to 1.0 metre tall by 0.5 metres wide and which favours many types of soil
. They are handsome plants with the tall and erect stem
crowned by raceme
s of large eye-catching blue, purple, white, yellow or pink zygomorphic flower
s with numerous stamen
s. They are distinguished by having one of the five petaloid sepal
s (the posterior one), called the galea
, in the form of a cylindrical helmet; hence the English name monkshood. There are 2-10 petals, in the form of nectaries. The two upper petals are large. They are placed under the hood of the calyx
and are supported on long stalk
s.
It is from Aconitum ferox that the well known Indian poison
bikh, bish, or nabee is produced. It contains large quantities of the alkaloid
pseudaconitine
, which is a deadly poison. It was also used in European witchcraft
ointments and has been used by poisoners.
The symptoms of poisoning are usually seen within 45 minutes to an hour with numbness of the mouth and throat and vomiting after an hour that the sufficient dose was ingested. Respiration slows and blood pressure synchronously falls to within 30-40 beats per minute and the conscious mindedness stays until the end which is usually death by asphyxiation. This takes place before the arrest of the heart.
Aconitum ferox is considered the most poisonous plant in the world.
Monier-Williams lists it as one of the definitions of or Bhringa.
Ranunculaceae
Ranunculaceae are a family of about 1700 species of flowering plants in about 60 genera, distributed worldwide....
. It is also known as the Indian Aconite
Aconitum
Aconitum , known as aconite, monkshood, wolfsbane, leopard's bane, women's bane, Devil's helmet or blue rocket, is a genus of over 250 species of flowering plants belonging to the buttercup family .-Overview:These herbaceous perennial plants are chiefly natives of the mountainous parts of the...
. Abundant at Sandakphu, which is the highest point of the Darjeeling Hills in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n State of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
.
A deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
perennial that grows up to 1.0 metre tall by 0.5 metres wide and which favours many types of soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
. They are handsome plants with the tall and erect stem
Plant stem
A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescence , conifer cones, roots, other stems etc. The internodes distance one node from another...
crowned by raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
s of large eye-catching blue, purple, white, yellow or pink zygomorphic flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s with numerous stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s. They are distinguished by having one of the five petaloid sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s (the posterior one), called the galea
Galea
Galea may refer to:*Galea , ancient Roman helmet*Galea , a genus of rodents*Galea , part of the maxilla in the mouthparts of insects*Galea, a clade of sharks*Galea , a boat whose shape was used in galley division...
, in the form of a cylindrical helmet; hence the English name monkshood. There are 2-10 petals, in the form of nectaries. The two upper petals are large. They are placed under the hood of the calyx
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
and are supported on long stalk
Plant stem
A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant. The stem is normally divided into nodes and internodes, the nodes hold buds which grow into one or more leaves, inflorescence , conifer cones, roots, other stems etc. The internodes distance one node from another...
s.
It is from Aconitum ferox that the well known Indian poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
bikh, bish, or nabee is produced. It contains large quantities of the alkaloid
Alkaloid
Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Also some synthetic compounds of similar structure are attributed to alkaloids...
pseudaconitine
Pseudaconitine
Pseudaconitine, known also as nepaline, is an alkaloid found in high quantities in the roots of Aconitum ferox also known as wolfsbane. It is extremely poisonous.- Introduction :...
, which is a deadly poison. It was also used in European witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
ointments and has been used by poisoners.
The symptoms of poisoning are usually seen within 45 minutes to an hour with numbness of the mouth and throat and vomiting after an hour that the sufficient dose was ingested. Respiration slows and blood pressure synchronously falls to within 30-40 beats per minute and the conscious mindedness stays until the end which is usually death by asphyxiation. This takes place before the arrest of the heart.
Aconitum ferox is considered the most poisonous plant in the world.
Monier-Williams lists it as one of the definitions of