nen sei ms Wy 
PISTINACA OPOPANAX. ORD. VI. Umbellate. 123 
THE root is perennial, thick, fleshy, tapering like the garden 
parsnep: the stalk is strong, branched, rough towards the bottom, 
and rises seven or eight feet in height: the leaves are pinnated, 
consisting of several pairs of pinne, which are oblong, serrated, 
veined, and towards the base appear unformed on the upper side: 
the flowers are small, of a yellowish colour, and terminate the stem 
and branches in flat umbels: the general and partial umbels are 
composed of many radii: the general and partial involucra are com- 
monly both wanting: all the florets are fertile, and have an uniform 
appearance: the petals are five, lance-shaped, and curled inwards: 
the five filaments are spreading, curved, longer than the petals, 
and furnished with roundish anthere: the germen is placed below 
the corolla, supporting two reflexed styles, which are supplied 
with blunt stigmata: the fruit is elliptical, compressed, divided into 
two parts, containing two flat seeds, encompassed with a narrow 
border. It is a native of the South of Europe, and flowers in June 
and July. 
This species of Parsnep was cultivated in 1731 by Mr. P. Miller, 
who observes that its “roots are large, sweet, and accounted very 
nourishing,” therefore recommended for cultivation in kitchen-gar- 
dens.* It bears the cold of our climate very well, and commonly 
maturates its seeds, and its juice here manifests some of those 
qualities which are discovered in the officinal opopanax;” but it is 
only in the warm regions of the East, and where this plant is a 
native, that its juice concretes into this gummy resinous drug. 
Opopanax is obtained by means of incisions made at the bottom of 
the stalk of the plant, from whence the juice gradually exudes, 
and by undergoing spontaneous concretion, assumes the appearance 
under which we have it imported from Turkey and the East-Indies, 
* See his Dict. 
’ Alston says, ‘* with regard to these plants growing here, I venture to say, 
that, if their juice be not the opopanax, it is very like it.” M. M. v. it. p. 443. 
© We find no account of the manner of obtaining this drug since that mentioned 
by Dodonaeus, Pempt. (p. 309.) & Boccone, (1. ¢ ) 
