UMBELLIFERiE. XCII. FERULA. 



327 



5-6 feet high. According to the testimony of Kcempfer, this 

 is the plant from which the real assafcetida is obtained. It 

 is the concrete juice of the root, and is procured by the 

 peasants who live in the neighbourhood of the mountains in 

 the provinces of Khorassaan and Laar in Persia. When the 

 leaves begin to decay the oldest plants are selected, not less 

 than 4 years' standing. The earth is partly cleared away, 

 so as to expose the upper part of the root. The leaves 

 and stem are twisted off, and used as a covering to screen it 

 from the sun. In this state the root is left 40 days, when the 

 covering being removed, the top of the root is cut off trans- 

 versely. It is then screened again 48 hours, when the juice is 

 scraped off, and exposed to the sun to harden. This done, a 

 second section is made ; the screen again employed, and the 

 juice obtained a second time as before. Thus the assa-fcetida 

 is 8 times repeatedly collected from the same root ; but after a 

 third section it remains 8 days to recover a sufficient stock of 

 juice. 



Assafcetida is well known by its peculiar nauseous fetid 

 smell, the strength of which is the surest test of its goodness. 

 This odour is extremely volatile, and of course the drug loses 

 much of its efficacy in keeping. It comes in large irregular 

 masses, composed of various shining little lumps or grains, 

 partly whitish, partly brownish or reddish, and partly of a violet 

 hue ; those are accounted the best which are clear, of a pale red- 

 dish-colour, and variegated with many fine white tears. It is a 

 gummy resin, but has the gum in largest quantity. It is the 

 most efficacious of the fetid gums, and is commonly used in 

 hysteria hypochondriasis, some symptoms of dyspepsia, amenor- 

 rhcea and chlorosis, flatulent cholics, and most diseases termed 

 nervous ; it is thought to be the most powerful remedy we pos- 

 sess for those peculiar convulsive and spasmodic affections, which 

 often recur in hysterics. It is recommended as an emmena- 

 gogue, anthelmintic, expectorant, antiasthmatic, and anodyne. 

 Its action is quick and penetrating. 



Assa-fcetida. Fl. July, Aug. PL 6 to 7 feet. 



20 F. SZOWITSIA'NA (D. C. prod. 4. p. 173.) stem terete, 

 nearly naked, branched, glabrous ; leaves tripinnate, clothed 

 with velvety pubescence ; leaflets deeply toothed, obtuse ; um- 

 bels somewhat panicled, without involucra ; fruit oval-obovate, 

 flat, longer than the pedicels. 1. H. Native of Persia, at Seid- 

 khodzi, in gravelly and stony places, where it was collected by 

 Szowits. Neck of root appearing hairy from numerous erect 

 fibres. Petioles of leaves trifid. Umbels terminal, on short pe- 

 duncles. Fruit the size of F. communis. 



Szonits's Giant-fennel. PL 5 to 6 feet. 



21 F. PUBE'SCENS (Pall, ex Willd. rel. in Schultes, syst. 6. p. 

 598.) stem pubescent, panicled, nearly leafless ; radical leaves 

 clothed with hoary pubescence, ternately tripinnate ; leaflets 

 jagged : lobes linear, tripartite, obtuse ; sheaths opposite, small ; 

 involucra and involucels minute and caducous. % . H. Native 

 of Siberia. 



Pubescent Giant-fennel. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1820. PL 1 

 to 2 feet, 



22 F. PU'MILA (Pall, ex Willd. rel. in Schultes, syst. 6. p. 

 598.) stem smooth, panicled, leafless ; sheaths naked ; radical 

 leaves pubescent, ternately tripinnate ; leaflets pinnatifid ; lobes 

 decussate, bluntish. l/.H. Native of Siberia. 



Dwarf Giant-fennel. PL 1 foot. 



23 F. ARME'NA (B.C. prod. 4. p. 174.) glabrous; petioles 

 ternate at the base, having the divisions bipinnate; leaflets 

 short, divided into thick, oblong, obtuse, aggregate, somewhat 

 whorled lobes ; stem naked, terete ; leaves of involucra and in- 

 volucels short, oblong ; fruit elliptic. I/ . H. Native of Arme- 

 nia. Oreoselinum Armenium Seseleos Massiliensis folio, Tourn. 

 herb. Upper leaves reduced to short leafless sheaths. 



Armenian Giant- fennel. PL? 



j* Little known species. 



24 F. BREVIFOLIA (Link, in Schultes, syst. 6. p. 592.) stem 

 terete, glabrous ; leaves supra-decompound ; leaflets linear, 

 channelled, divaricate, flaccid, cuspidate, elongated ; involucra 

 wanting ; primordial umbels sessile, "if. . H. Native of Por- 

 tugal. 



Short-leaved Giant-fennel. PL ? 



25 F. CAPILLA'RIS (Link, in Spreng. umb. spec. 85.) stem 

 terete, glabrous ; leaves triternate ; leaflets filiform, capillary, 

 loose ; sheaths of petioles almost wanting ; umbels axillary ; in- 

 volucra of a few setaceous leaves. Tf.. H. Native of Portugal. 

 Narthecium, Dalech. lugd. p. 754. Ferula tenuiori-folio, Mor. 

 ox. sect. 9. t. 15. 



Capillary Giant-fennel. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1820. PL 1 

 to 2 feet. 



26 F. PEUCEDANIFOLIA (Willd. herb, in Schultes, syst. 6. p. 

 592.) stem kneed, branched, leafy ; leaves tri-ternate, stiff; leaf- 

 lets trifidly pinnatifid, linear-subulate, elongated ; involucra 

 wanting ; umbellules rather capitate. I/ . H. Native of Siberia, 

 at the Volga. F. nodiflora, Pall. itin. app. p. 39. t. N. ed. gall, 

 t. 56. F. Sibirica, Willd. spec. 1. p. 1411. Leaflets very long, 

 nearly terete. Fruit unknown. The herbarium of Willdenovv 

 is said not to contain this plant. 



Sulphur-niort-leaved Giant-fennel. PL 5 to 6 feet. 



27 F. NUDICAU'LIS (Spreng. neu endt. 2. p. 149. but not of 

 Nutt.) stem naked, furrowed, glabrous ; radical leaves bipin- 

 nate ; leaflets deeply serrated, mucronate ; sheaths of upper 

 leaves abortive ; leaves of involucrum linear-lanceolate. I/ . H. 

 Native of Sicily, on the Nebrodes, in the higher pastures. 

 Laserpuium resinosum, Presl, sic. p. 136. Ligusticum resino- 

 sum, Guss. ind. sem. 1826. prod. 1. p. 356. Fruit glaucous, 

 compressed, marginated. 



Naked-stemmed Giant-fennel. PL 2 to 3 feet ? 



28 F. FffiNicuiA'cEA (Nutt. gen. amer. 1. p. 183.) plant pu- 

 bescent ; stem short, naked, furrowed, glabrous ; radical leaves 

 pubescent, supra-decompound ; leaflets linear, very narrow, 

 acute, short : ultimate ones trifid ; involucra wanting ; involucels 

 unilateral, digitate, with linear segments. I/ . H. Native of 

 North America, on the plains of the Missouri ; and on the north- 

 west coast near F'ort Vancouver, and barren sandy grounds on 

 the Columbia river ; low hills near the source of the Wallawalla 

 river, and on the Saskatchewan at Carlton House. Pastinaca 

 fceniculacea, Spreng. in Schultes, syst. 6. p. 587. Flowers yel- 

 low. Herb smelling of fennel. Fruit furnished with 5 stripes, 3 

 of which are conspicuous. Umbel solitary, terminal. Sprengel 

 refers to this Lomatium villosum, Rafin, injourn. phys. 1819. 

 aug. 1. p. 101. and the flowers are said to be white by the 

 author, but according to Nuttall they are yellow ; and it is there- 

 fore also the Cogswellia villosa, Schultes, syst. 6. p. 588. 



Fennel-scented Giant-fennel. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1820. PL 

 1 to 2 feet. 



29 F. CAKADE'NSIS (Lin. spec. p. 356.) segments of leaves 

 branched, shining, linear. Native of Canada. Lin. hort. tips, 

 p. 61. Gron. virg. p. 147. This is a very obscure plant, and 

 probably the same as Angelica lucida. 



Canadian Giant-fennel. PL 2 feet. 



30 F. NUTTA'LLII (D. C. prod. 4. p. 174.) plant small, almost 

 stemless, glabrous ; leaves supra-decompound ; leaflets linear, 

 short, acute ; scapes radical ; rays of umbel elongated ; involucra 

 wanting ; involucels unilateral, digitate, with linear segments. 

 2. H. Native of North America, on the plains of the Colum- 

 bia ; banks of streams among stones at the Great Falls of the 

 same river. F. nudicaulis, Nutt. gen. amer. 1. p. 183. but not 

 of Spreng. Smyrnium nudicaule, Pursh, fl. bor. amer. l.p. 196. 



