^8 Dr, Hope's Defcrlptkn of a 



p£:R. nullum : frucliis obiongus, plaiio-compreflus, utrlnqiie 3 



liiieis eleva'ds iiotatus eft. 

 S-EM. duo, oblonga, magna, utrinque plana, 3 lineis elevatls 



notata. 

 Flanta odorem alliaceum diffundlt. Folia, rami, pedun- 



cull, radix, triincus, feci! luccum fundunt latleum, 



lapore et odore A fa; foetidi.e. 



THOUGH x^fa foetida has been ufed in medicine for many 

 ages, having been introduced by the Arabian phyficians near a 

 thoufand years ago ; yet there was no fatisfadlory account of 

 ihe plant which yielded it, tillK.EMPFER publiihed his Amoeni- 

 tates Exoticas about feventy years ago. 



K^MPFER, towards the end of the laft century, travelled 

 over a great part of Alia, and was in Perlia, and upon the fpot 

 where the Afii foetida is coilecled. He gives a full account of 

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

 gives a figure of it, differing in many refpedts from thofe which 

 I now prefent to the Society *. 



Six years ago, I received from Dr. Guthrie, of St. Peter{burg, 

 F. R. S. two roots of the Afli 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 KjEmpfer's Afa fcetida Plant is a different fpecies from that 

 defcribed by Dr. Hope in this paper. K^^mpfer was himfelf upon the mountains 

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

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

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

 foetida be iimiUrly circumftanced ? Jos. Banks, 



^' thinks 



