Linnaan Society. 199 



of an acid reveals a dull ashy ground sprinkled with numerous tri- 

 angular opal-hke dashes ; in Oliva Brasiliensis the removal of the 

 outer layer exhibits a longitudinally striped pattern, and other va- 

 rieties of design may be found in different species ; but there is no 

 periodical change of colour in the entire shell to mark its advance- 

 ment in growth. 



November 3. — R. Brown, Esq., V.P., in the Chair. 



Read a " Description of the Asafoetida plant of Central Asia.'* 

 By Hugh Falconer, Esq., M.D., F.L.S. &c. &c. 



Dr. Falconer describes the plant which yields the Asafoetida under 

 the following characters : — 



Ord. UMBELLIFERiE. 



Trib. Peucedane^. 



Gen. Narthex, Falc. 



Cahjcis margo obsoletus. Petala ? Stylopodium ph'cato- 



iirceolatum. Styli fiUformes demum reflexi. Frucfus a dorso plano- 

 compressus, margine dilatato cinctus. Mericarpia jugis primariis 5, 

 3 intermediis filjformibus, 21ateralibus obsoletioribus margini contiguis 

 immersis, Vittce in valleculis dorsaUbus plerumque solitariae (valle- 

 culis lateralibusnuncsesqui- vel bi-vittatis) ; commissurales 4 — 6 variae 

 inaequales, exterioribus ssepe reticulatim interruptis. Semen compla- 

 iiatum. Car^op/ior M w bipartitum. Z7?»6e//^ pedunculatae, compositse. 

 Involucrum utrumque nullum. — Genus inter Peucedaneas calycis mar- 

 ffine edentato ; fructus vittis magnis, commissuralibus ineequalibtis ; in- 

 volucroque utroque nullo distinctum. Narthex nuncupatum a vocabulo 

 vdpdr]^, apud Dioscoridem Ferulae attrihuto. 



N. Asafoetida, caule tereti simplici petiolis dilatatis aphyllis instructo, 

 foliis radicalibus fasciculatis ; petiolis trisectis ; segmentis bipinnati- 

 sectis : laciniis lineari-lanceolatis obtusis inaequilateralibus integris vel 

 variS sinuatis decurrentibus. 



Asafoetida Disgunensis, Keempf. Amcen. Exot. p. 535. 



Ferula Asafoetida, Linn. Mat. Med. p. 79 j Dec. Prodr. iv. 173 ; Lindl, Fl, 

 Med. p. 45. 



Hab. in apricis inter saxa in valle " Astore " vel " Hussorah" dictd prope 

 Indum ultra Cashmeer ; indigenis Daradris " Sip " vel " Sup" dictum. Legi 

 fructigerum prope Boosthon die 21™° Septembris 1838. 



Dr. Falconer states that he has compared his materials with 

 Kaempfer's description and figures and with the original specimens 

 of that author in the collection of the British Museum, and found 

 them to agree, so far as a comparison could be instituted, in every 

 essential particular. Jubbar Khan, the Dardoh Rajah of the country 

 in which Dr. Falconer gathered his specimens, at once recognised 

 the plant as that v/hich furnishes the Heeng or Asafoetida of com- 

 merce, and referred to the medicinal accounts given of it by the Per- 

 sian and Arabic authors ; but the Dardohs are a wild race and do 

 not collect the gum-resin for exportation. Some young roots were 

 carefully removed and introduced in the first instance into the Bo- 

 tanic Garden at Saharunpoor, but afterwards transferred to the sub- 

 sidiary hill garden at Mussooree. Of these some had succeeded 



