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Greenish Himalayan Monkshood
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Greenish Himalayan Monkshood
ative Photo: Amber Srivastava
Common name: Greenish Himalayan Monkshood • Hindi: Arand, Ateicha, अतीस Atis, अतिविख Ativikha • Kannada: ಅತಿಬಜೆ Athibaje, ಅತಿವಿಷೆ Athivishe • Malayalam: അതിവിദയമ് Atividayam • Marathi: atavish, athivish • Nepali: विषा Visha, अतिस Atis, बिख Bikh • Sanskrit: अतिविषा Ativishaa, भङ्गुरा Bhanguraa, अमृता Amrita, अरुणा Aruna, Ataicha, Atisaraghni, ativisa • Tamil: adhividayam, adivitaiyam, akuculapu • Telugu: Athivaasa, Atirasa, Ativasa • Urdu: ﺍﺗﻴﺲ Atees, Atis shirin, Beesh
Botanical name: Aconitum heterophyllum    Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup family)

Greenish Himalayan Monkshood is a perennial herb, 1-4 ft tall, distinguished by its rather large greenish-purple, prominently darker-veined flowers, and its coarsely toothed but otherwise entire leaves. Flowers are 2.5-3 cm across, usually in lax, spike-like clusters with very variable bracts which are either small linear, small ovate, or large ovate and enclosing the lower part of the flower and fruit. They are hooded, rounded, broader than long. Leaves are ovate-heart-shaped to rounded, 4-8 cm, the upper ones stem-clasping, all with large rounded teeth. Lowest leaves are deeply lobed and long-stalked. At higher altitudes, sometimes plants are smaller in size. Seed pods are 1.6-1.8 cm, shortly hairy, erect. Greenish Himalayan Monkshood is found in the Himalayas, from Pakistan to C. Nepal, at altitudes of 2400-4000 m. Flowering: August-September.
Medicinal uses: The dried root of Indian Atees is the part which is believed to have analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, anti-periodic, aphrodisiac, astringent properties according to Ayurveda.

Identification credit: Gurcharan Singh Photographed in Deoban & Tungnath, Uttarakhand & Gulmarg, Kashmir.

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