sS Dr, Hope's De/cnf>f!on of a 



Per. nullum : fruclus oblongus, piano- comprefTus, utrlnque 3 



lineis elevatis notatus eft. 

 Sem. duo, oblonga, magna, utrinque plana, 3 lineis elevatis 



notata. 

 Planta odorem alliaceum diffundit. Folia, rami, pedun- 



culi, radix, truncus, fe£li fuccum fundunt ladeum, 



fapore et odore Ala,* foetid^. 



THOUGH Afa foetida has been ufed in medicine for many- 

 ages, having been introduced by the Arabian phy(icians near a 

 thoufand years ago ; yet there was no fatisfaftory account of 

 the plant which yielded it, tillKiEMPFER publifhed his Amoeni- 

 tates Exoticae about feventy years ago. 



KiEMPFER, towards the end of the lafl century, travelled 

 over a great part of Afia, and was in Perfia, and upon the fpot 

 where the Afa foetida is collected. He gives a full account of 

 the manner of collecting it. He defcribes the plant ; and alfd 

 gives a figure of it, differing in many refpe£ts from thofe which 

 I now prefent to the Society *. 



Six years ago, I received from Dr. Guthrie, of St. Peterfburg, 

 F. R. S. two roots of the Afa foetida, with the following card 

 from Dr. Pallas, addreffed to Dr. Guthrie : 



" Dr. Pallas's compliments to Dr. Guthrie ; he fends 

 " him two roots of the Ferula Afa foetida, a plant which he 



* Probably K^mpfer's Afa foetida Plant is a different fpecies from that 

 defcribcd hyDr. Hope in this paper. K^mpfer was himfelf upon the mountains 

 where the drug is collefted, and his fidelity in defcribing, as well as delineating, has 

 not hitherto been impeached. Sanguis Draconis, and fome other gums, are 

 indifferently the produce of various fpecies of plants ; and why may not Afa 

 foetida be fimiU.rly circumllanced ? Jos. Banks. 



" thinks 



