fruit, and root), from Tibet. (2) A very similar one, collected by 
Drs. Falconer and Thomson in the southern damp valleys of the 
same mountain (and elsewhere in Kashmire) in whose northern 
dry valleys Falconer obtains his Varthex, also by Dr. Thomson 
in Piti (Tibet). (3) A flowering specimen, gathered in Turkistan 
by Dr. Lord (19th April, 1838), and given to Dr. Falconer : it is 
much injured by insects. (4) Leaves and roots of a quite similar 
plant sent by Dr. Stocks, from Doobund, in Beloochistan, as, 
certainly, the Asafcetida of commerce. (5) Another similar plant 
from the banks of the Zenderad, in the Baktiyari mountains of 
Persia, collected by the late W. Loftus (June 7, 1852), of which 
excellent specimens are in the British Museum. (6) The Scoro- 
dosma of Bunge, of which we know the fruit, root, and stems, 
but have not seen leaves. Lastly, we have imperfect fragments 
of Oriental Umbellifers from Aucher-Eloi and others, which may 
belong to some of the above. 
It remains to observe that the characters upon which Narther 
and Scorodosma have been separated from Feru/a seem to us un- 
worthy of generic importance. ‘The number and length of the 
vittee vary extremely in the Edinburgh and native specimens. : 
The habit of the species is entirely the same with that of varions 
Ferulas, which themselves vary greatly in habit and vitte. We 
may add that the individual species or varieties further differ 
in the smoothness or pubescence of the leaflets, their entire or 
serrated margins, in the shape of the mericarps, and in the 
position of the smaller umbels of male flowers, which are often 
extra-alary. Plants growing in arid climates (and, like the 
Narthex, on the borders of moist ones) are eminently variable, 
both as to sensible properties, form of organs, and habit; and 
we suspect that the discrepancies between the specimens and 
descriptions of several of the above enumerated plants (exclud- 
ing the Scorodosma) may be attributed to climate. 
We have to express our obligations to various gentlemen for 
the trouble they have taken to obtain specimens and information 
on this interesting subject, to Drs. Falconer, Balfour, Christison, 
to M. Borsczhow and Mr. Hanbury, and especially to Mr. Ben- 
nett, of the British Museum, who has further aided us in examin- 
ing the specimens ; and he considers the characters of the vitte 
of little value when unaccompanied with others of importance. 
Fig. 1. Flower. 2. Ovary. 3. Transverse section of mericarp. 4. Ripe 
fruit (all from the Edinburgh Garden pliant). 5. Fruit of native specimen, col- 
lected by Falconer. 6. Transverse section of ditto. 7. Fruit of Scorodosma 
fetidum :—all but 4, 5, and 7 magnified. 
