of Western Afghanistan and North-Eastern Persia. G5 



and applied to the gums in lieu of snuff, or burnt and the 

 ashes mixed with snuff to make it more pungent. A 

 decoction of the stems is employed in tanning the leather 

 for water-bottles. The Afridi tribes in the Khyber crush 

 the stems and allow them to soak for the night in cold 

 water; this infusion is administered to children and others 

 suffering from fever and boils. This is the plant that is at 

 present considered by some to have been the Soma of the 

 ancients, and is at the present time employed by the Parsees 

 in Bombay in being burnt as incense at their places of 

 worship. 



Eragrostis cynosuroides, Beauv. Graminb^. 



Drah, kirtag, klrthag. The sandy plains between Kani 

 and Gazicha were covered with this grass, to the exclusion of 

 all other plants : here in its method of growth and general 

 habit it resembled extremely the Bent-grass of Scotland. It 

 was looked upon as a valuable fodder grass. 



Eremostachys labiosa, Bimge. Labiatze ; and 

 Eremostachys Regeliana, Aitch. et Hemsleii. LABiAXiE. 

 On the fibrous roots of these herbs are developed tubers 

 or nodes, called agar-magar or hohar-harar, about tlie size of 

 a walnut, but longer in form. These are collected by the 

 Turkomans for rubbing down the body, after having taken a 

 hot bath, in the same way as they .employ the tubers of 

 Curcuma Zedoaeia. On being crushed these tubers give 

 forth a strong pungent aroma, like that usually associated 

 with the Crucifer.-e, and very similar to that given off' by 

 the external bark-like covering of the turnip-like root of 

 Nepeta eaphajSTORHIZA ; to the presence of an acrid sub- 

 stance is no doubt due their rubefacient properties. 



Eremurus Aucherianus, Boiss. LiLiACEiE. 



Cluirlsh, chirish, chlresh, sares, gid-sares, sarlsh, sarlsh-i- 

 kdhi, sires, siresh, siris, sirlsh, gid-sirlsh, gid-sirishivi. 



This is a giant Asphodel, with a spike of most superb 

 flowers sometimes four feet in height ; it is abundant over 

 the whole Badghis and in Persia, and abounds in the 

 vicinity of Turbat-i-haidri in similar loamy, soft, sandy soil. 

 It is a plant of great local importance, as from its fleshy 



TRANS. BOT. SOC. VOL. XVIII. I 



