THE AFGHAN DELIMITATION COMMISSION, 67 
Native name Badian-kohi. On the shady sides of rocks, from 3000 feet elevation at 
Simkho, to 6000 feet on the Paropamisus range; not uncommon. 
FERULA oopopa, Boiss. Fl. Or. ii. р. 984. (Plates XVIII., ХІХ.) (Descript. amplif.) 
Caulis 4-6-pedalis, erectus, albescens vel rubescens, subnitidus. Folia impetiolata, 
radicalia 3—4, ped. diametro, iterato-tripartita, late vaginata ; caulina sursum gradatim 
minora, cum vaginis amplexicaulibus cyathiformibus gradatim minoribus instructis. 
Inflorescentia ampla, terminalis, subverticillatim ramosa. Flores polygami, umbellæ 
centralis fertiles, umbellarum minorum lateralium centralem superantium sæpis- 
sime masculi. Fructus oblongus, valde dorso compressus, fere planus; vittæ 
ad valleculas solitariæ, ad commisuram geminatæ.—Peucedanum oopodum, Boiss. et 
Buhse, Aufz. p. 100. 
Badghis: 114, February 18, 1885; Hari-rud valley : 321, April 26, 1885, May 13, 
1885; Khorasan, June 9, 1885. Native native Ejik-okhħarasi, Kilki, Kalkilli. Generally 
distributed throughout the Badghis, and the most northern part of the Hari-rud valley ; 
occasional in Khorasan, growing gregariously. Its annual stems reach six feet in height, 
and are remarkable for the three large cups, or bowls, borne on the stem. Were it 
cultivated in this country, at which an attempt has been made, these bowls, with the 
upper part of the stalk cut off close to the base of the cup, and of the lower portion four 
inches left as a handle, they would make lovely artistic bouquet- or fruit-holders. The 
Turkomans have a story that on some occasion when a fugitive fleeing from his enemies 
was dying from thirst, he got a life-saving drink of water out of one of these cups, from 
the dew collected therein. I examined many, but not a drop of fluid could I ever find in 
any of them; their usual occupants being beetles and a small bee. 
It was only after a very careful examination of the fragmentary specimens of Ferula 
oopoda, Boiss., in the Kew Herbarium, and Boissier’s imperfect description, that we 
thought it probable ours could be the same. Boissier had neither radical leaves nor 
fruit, and apparently only very much less luxuriant specimens; for he says of the leaf- 
sheaths :—“ Vaginæ caulinæ interdum ovo gallinaceo vix minores.” Іп the present 
specimens the larger of these sheaths are at least six inches across, and the largest. 
observed lower on the stem, were at least a foot across; and they more nearly resemble 
a bowl or cup than an egg. Nevertheless, from the specimens before us, we have little 
doubt that we are right. Certainly a portion of Stocks’s Baluchistan 956, which is 
referred by Boissier to F. oopoda, is the same species. This is also very near to Ferula 
Schair, Borszezow (Ferul. Aral. Casp. р. 37, tt. 6-8), but that is represented as having 
open, not connate, sheaths, and narrower ultimate segments of the leaves. In this 
connexion it may be mentioned that Stocks writes the native name of Е. oopoda, and 
of another very distinct species which he confused with it, “Cheer.” We are a little 
puzzled with Borszezow's description of F. Schair, as we have not found the same 
conditions that he describes іп any of the species which we have examined. Тһе central 
umbels he describes as consisting of fertile female flowers, the lateral, smaller umbels 
which rise above the central, of sterile females, and the clusters of minute flowers seated 
near the base of the peduncles of the lateral umbels, males. Не says of Ferula Schair :— 
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