SPIKEXAED AND YALERIAX. 277 



" Mountain Xard " is a name attributed to the roots of 



Valeriana 'pyrendica, Lin., V. tubcrosa, Lin., and 



V. asarifolia, Dufresne. 

 " Cretan Xard " ; " Xardus Cretica " of Belli, Prosper Alpinius 



and others is derived from Valeriana Phu, Lin. 

 " Xard Sauvage or Wild Xard " (employed medicinally as an 



emetic) is furnished by Asaintm Eumpceiiin, Lin. 

 "Assyrian Xard" and "Xard de la Madeleine" are names 



given to the " Indian Xard " N. Jatamansi. 



" Spanish Xard " is produced by Valeriana Tuherosa, common 



in the south of Europe, Spain and the Caucasus. 

 " False Xard of Xarbonne " is a name given by Dalechamps 

 to the False Xard of Dauphine. 

 The writer of the article " Spikenard " in the Encyclopcedia 

 Britannica, states that this celebrated perfume seems to have 

 formed one of the most durable aromatic ingredients in the costly 

 unguents used by the Eoman and Eastern nations. " The ointment 

 prepared from it — " Ointment of Pictic Xard " — is mentioned in 

 the Xew Testament* as being very costly, a pound of it being 

 valued at over 300 denarii (over £10). This appears to represent 

 the prices then current for the best quality of Xard, since Pliny 

 mentions that Xard spikes reached as much as 100 denarii per 

 lb., and although he does not mention the price of the Xard oint- 

 ment, he states that the Unguentum cinnamominum, a similar 

 preparation, ranged from 25 to 300 denarii according to its cpiality.f 

 Xard ointment also varied considerably in price from its liability 

 to sophistication.;!: 



On the authority of Pliny,§ the ingredients of the genuine 

 ointment, " Unguentum nardinuni " were as follows : — 



" Indian Xard " — now known as Nardostachys Jatawcmsi, D.C. 

 " Juncus " — probably the leaves of Andropogon Lanigerum, 



Desfontaines.il 

 " Costus " — the root of Aplotaxis Lappa, Decaisne.^ 



* Mark xiv., 3-5; John xii., 3-5. 



+ Pliny, Hist. Nat., xii., 26, and xiii, 2. 



X Idem, xii., 26, 27 ; xiii. 2. 



§ Ibid xiii., 2. 



II Vide 1st Series, p. 311. 



1[ Ibid, p. 110. 



