1^4 LEGUMINOS^. 



TRAGACANTHA. 



V 



Gummi Tragacantha ; Tragacanth, Gum Tragacanth ; F. Gomme 



Adragante; G. Tragantk. 



w 



Botanical Origin. — Tragacanth is the gummy exudation from the 



stem of several pieces of Astragalus, belonging to the sub-genus 



iragacantha. The plants of this group are low perennial shrubs, 



remarkable for their leaves having a strong, persistent, spiny petiole. 



As the leaves and shoots are very numerous and regular, many of the 



species have the singular aspect of thorny hemispherical cushions, lying 



close on the ground ; while others, which are those furnishing the gum, 



grow erect with a naked woody stem, and somewhat resemble furze 

 bushes. 



A few species occur in South-western Europe, others are found in 

 <areece and Turkey ; but the largest number are inhabitants of the 

 mountamous regions of Asia Minor, Syria, Armenia, Kurdistan and 

 rersia.^ Ihe tragacanth of commerce is produced in the last-named 

 countries, and chiefly, though not exclusively, by the following 



species 



Hausskr.. a shrub attaining 4 feet 



m neight native, of the mountains of South-western Persia at an 

 altitude of 9,000 to 10,000 feet. According to Haussknecht, it affords 



an abundance of gum. 

 2. A. leioclados Boiss. 



^. A. hrackycalyx Fisch., a shrub of 3 feet high, growing on the 

 mountams of Persian Kurdistan, likewise affords tragacanth. 



r.fo^ • W"—".^^^ Mount Hermon in Syria, the Beryt Dagh in 

 ^ataonia, the Arjish Dagh (Mount ArgjEus) near Kaisariyeh in Central 

 Asia Minor, and in Armnr.,-o ^^a xr^^.t V.-„.i- i„„ -^ 



Willd 



Minor to the north 



coast and to Turkish and Russian Armenia. A specimen of this plan 

 So..t tT'T '\^}'^ '^'^' ^'^^ «ent some years ago to the Pharmaceutica 

 society by Mr. Maltass of Smyrna. We received a large example of 

 fvL T^ species the stem of which is marked by old incisions, 

 uZ.t^^t::.I: h ^— 5th of Kaisariyeh, who states that 



Mount 

 nodadus Boiss. et Haussk 



was disnnvAvorl /-.v. +1,^ v.- i 



micro- 



n,n and 



tragacanth in abundance. 



Haussknecht 



om at odes 



Marash in Northern Syria. 



8 A r T- ^' ''"'^^^^^^'■asn in JN orthcrn byria. . ., 



mount^n. of n-?' ^^^''•' ^ «^^'^^ 3 to 4 feet high, native of the 

 mountams of Cilicia and Cappadocia, extending theScc to Kurdistan. 



taltn%%n)^ '^^tr^'f ^r" ^'■'■^"- o^^ li«t «f ^Peeies, and for some valuably 

 fessor HaUsk, ;cht of W ^ *° F'^'^^ P™" information is to the localities in which the 



3.Knecht of Weimar for revising drug i« produced. 



