ASAFCETIDA OF ECONOMIC PLANTS. 25 



some as large as a small hen's egg, from the apex of which rise 

 several arrow-shaped leaves, 6 to 8 inches long. It is common 

 in rivers throughout the northern hemisphere; in North -AVest 

 America it forms an article of food to the native population, and 

 in China it is even cultivated as a food plant. In its raw state it 

 contains a bitter milky juice, which is expelled by boiling. 



Arrowroot {Maranta arimdinacea), a herb of the family 

 Marantaceas ; it is extensively cultivated in the West Indies 

 and tropical America. It is a reed-like plant, and the farina- 

 ceous substance known as Arrowroot is obtained from its fleshy 

 rhizomes by maceration, washing, and drying. There are several 

 varieties, one with dark-coloured stems and leaves is cultivated 

 in Trinidad. In the East Indies Arrowroot is obtained from a 

 variety of the same plant which has been described as a distinct 

 species under the name of M. indica. The name Arrowroot is 

 said to be derived from the circumstance of the Indians apply- 

 ing the roots to wounds received from poisoned arrows. 



Artichoke {Cynara Scobjmus), a strong-growing hard peren- 

 nial of the Composite family (Compositae), having large gashed 

 leaves 2 or 3 feet long, of a grayish colour, from which rises a 

 stout flower-stem, 3 or 4 feet high, the flower-heads composed 

 of numerous thick imbricated scales, the lower part being thick 

 and fleshy, and called artichoke bottoms, which is the part eaten 

 as a vegetable. It is a native of the countries bordering the 

 Mediterranean, and has been known in this country for at least 

 300 years, and is in general cultivation. 



Asa dulcis, a celebrated drug known to the ancients, and 

 supposed to have been furnished by Thapsia garganica, a plant 

 of the Carrot family (UmbeUiferse), native of Southern Europe 

 and Algeria. 



Asafoetida, a gum -resin obtained from Narthex asafoeiida, 

 formerly Ferula asafcEtida, a perennial plant of the Carrot family 

 (UmbeUiferse), attaining the height of 6 to 7 feet, furnished with 

 fennel-like leaves. It is a native of Persia, Afghanistan, and the 

 region of the Oxus. It has a strong thick fleshy root which 

 when cut yields a milky juice, and upon hardening becomes the 



