290 Dr. Falconer on the Asafcetida Plant of Central Asia. 



the plains of Toorkestan upon the Oxus, north of the Hindoo Koosh moun- 

 tains, where it seems to have been met with by Sir Alexander Burnes* ; and on 

 the other, to stretch across from Beloochistan, through Candahar and other 

 provinces of AfFghanistan, to the eastern side of the valley of the Indus, where 

 it stops in Astore, and does not occur in great abundance. The whole of this 

 region, which constitutes the head-quarters of the gum-bearing UmbelUferce, 

 possesses the common character of an excessively dry climate, indicated in 

 Berghaus's Hygrometric map in Johnstone's ' Physical Atlas' by a belt of white. 

 According to my observation, it does not extend into Cashmeer, although 

 Prangos pabularia, which is associated with it in Astore, grows abundantly in 

 that valley. 



Besides the gum-resin, the fruit of Narthex Asafcetida is imported into 

 India from Persia and Affghanistan, under the name of " Anjoodan," being 

 extensively employed by the native physicians in India ; Anjoodan being 

 the epithet applied to the seed of the " Heengseli," or " Hulteet," by Avi- 

 cenna, also quoted by Ksempfer, and used by the Indo-Persian and Arabic 

 writers generally in describing the Asafoetida plant. Another umbelliferous 

 fruit is also imported with it, and sold under the name of " Doogoo," (a word 

 evidently connected with the Sau/coc of the Greeks,) being recommended as an 

 excellent substitute for "Anjoodan," which it closely resembles in its general 

 appearance. This I found to be the fruit of a species of true Ferula ; it is one 

 of the two Asafoetida-like fruits mentioned by Dr. Royle as occurring in the 

 bazaars of northern India, and may be that which furnished the account 

 which Dr. Lindley, in the passage above quoted, has mixed up with his de- 

 scription of the Asafoetida plant of Kaempfer. The following are the charac- 

 ters of this " Doogoo" seed, extracted from a description of bazaar specimens 

 drawn up by me in the north of India : — " Mericarps broad elliptical or 

 elliptical-obovate, somewhat convex in the middle, thin, with a dilated border, 

 3^ to 6 lines long by 2\ to 3 lines broad. Dorsal ridges 3, filiform, but slightly 

 elevated, the lateral ridges less apparent, giving a thickened edge to the 

 border. Dorsal vittae about 4 in each channel, interrupted, branched and 



* Bumes mentions the plant as an annual, probably in consequence of the annual decay of the stems. 

 He states that sheep browse on the young shoots, which are considered to be very nutritious. — Trav. 

 vol. ii. p. 243. 



