1888-89.] Country traversed by Afghan Commission. 433 



much more localised than the two former, occurs in great 

 patches, like cultivated barley in general habit of growth and 

 appearance, and is considered as barley gone wild by the 

 nomads. Horcleurii mcdusce is equally characteristic, occu- 

 pying the great slopes which run down from the higher 

 hills. As already mentioned, Stipa 'pennata, the feather 

 grass of gardens, is characteristic of the great gravel plains, 

 where it is associated with species of Artemisia. In the 

 basin of the Harut river we found much of the country 

 covered with an Eragrostis, E. cynosuroides, resembling in 

 habit the bent grass of Scotland ; Elymvs arenarius; while 

 in the desert country Aristida plumosa is one of the chief 

 fodders for the few sheep which occur in that country. In 

 Persia, in the orchards, I found what I believe to be an 

 Erianthus cultivated for its culms, which are used as pens. 



Of Cruciferae I noted 57 species. Most of these are 

 showy-flowered small annuals. The most characteristic of 

 the order, as a useful indigenous plant, is Cramhe cordifolia, 

 which in the loose, loamy sandy soil of the Badghis produces 

 an immense turnip-like perennial woody rootstock. This is 

 collected and stored for winter use as fodder for camels, 

 which are the only animals, I should say, in these parts, 

 capable of masticating such a woody fodder. 



Of the Labiatae I observed 34 species. Eremostachys lahiosa 

 and regeliana bear on their fibrous roots large tubers ; these 

 are collected and employed by the Turkomans in rubbing- 

 down their bodies after a bath, to act as a rubefacient in lieu 

 of the tubers of Curcuma, so largely imported from India for 

 the same purpose. "When crushed the tubers of Eremostachys 

 give forth a strong pungent odour of mustard, very similar 

 to that given off by the external bark of the turnip-rooted 

 Lamium iiapif&rmis. On collecting another Labiate, Teucriurti 

 serratum, 1 was struck by its being strongly scented with an 

 odour exactly resembling Asafoetida, indeed I looked to see if 

 I had not been accidentally crushing some of that plant. 



In conclusion, I draw attention to the fact that there has 

 for some time past been a good deal of talk in India as to 

 what the plant " Soma " of the ancients could be, as from 

 it used to be prepared a strong drink by the priesthood. 

 Ephedra jmchyclada is known throughout this country as 

 Hum — Huma — Yehma, and is at present employed by the 



