88 
SOURCE OF THE DRUG CALLED TRAGACANTH. 
The real origin of many of our officinal drugs is involved 
in obscurity, or the statements made by authors concerning 
them are in great need of confirmation, even when true. 
The common gum called Tragacanth, brought to us from the 
Levant, is no exception. Linneus evidently considered it to 
be produced by the plant he called Astragalus Tragacantha, 
a French species, called by the Botanists of that country A. 
massiliensis ; but DeCandolle assures us that no gum what- 
ever is furnished by that plant. Another species, the 4. 
creticus, has been named as the source of the drug, and it 
does appear that a small quantity is obtained from that spe- 
cies in Candia; but certainly not the bulk of the samples of 
commerce. Labillardiére relates that his A. gummifer fur- 
nishes Tragacanth on Mount Lebanon; but the samples 
obtained from thence are said to be not the same as those of 
commerce, being white and more transparent, and dissolving 
less readily in water. Finally, Olivier assures us that the 
principal part of the Tragacanth used in Europe comes from 
Astragalus verus, a Persian species. The only certain con- 
clusion that can be drawn from these statements is, that Tra- 
gacanth is a secretion from some sort of Astragalus belonging 
to that curious division of the genus which consists of spiny 
bushes. 
The subject has been very recently investigated by James 
Brant, Esq., H. M. consul at Erzeroum, who has sent ex- 
cellent dried specimens of the Tragacanth plants of Koor- 
distan to the Hon. W. F. Strangways, who has placed them 
m my hands. One of these is labelled “The shrub that 
yields the white or best variety of Gum Tragacanth,” and is 
the 4. gummafer, a very pretty bush, unknown in the gardens 
of Europe, and very much to be desired as an ornamental 
plant. For it is covered with myriads of short spikes of 
yellow flowers embedded in wool, and surrounded by bright 
green smooth leaves. The specimen before me is little more 
than a span across, and it has from 70 to 80 of such spikes. 
Mr. Brant's other Tragacanth is labelled ** Shrub from which 
the red or inferior species of Gum Tragacanth is produced." 
This is quite a different plant, with hoary spiny leaves, and 
little cone-like heads of flowers, whose feathery calyxes are as 
long as the corollas. It is evidently very near the A. micro" 
