78 GIANT FENNEL. 



Ferula communis, the Giant Feiinel, lias an interesting 

 history of its own. The plant is indigenous to the southern 

 countries of the Mediterranean, wliere it grows thickh' in 

 certain spots, generall\- near tlie sea. It will attain a height 

 of three ^'ards in quite a short time, spreading its huge, 

 yellow umbels above the iineh' dissected leaves. In 

 ancient times walking sticks were made from the stem, 

 and as they are vcr}' tough thc\' were used for chastising 

 slaves and children. These were reiidered more effica- 

 cious by being soaked in water as birch rods were at 

 one time. The name Ferula is derived from fcn'rc to 

 strike. The plant was sacred to Bacchus and the Th^-rsus 

 represented a Fennel rod wound round ^^•ith A'^ine and Iv\ . 

 The pith is ver\' spong^• and is still used in Sicily as 

 tinder. A spark will smoulder for a long while in the 

 pith; and this fact gave rise to the stor\' that Prometheus 

 brought the fire which he stole lr(jm Zeus, down to earth 

 in a Fennel stem. Manuscripts have been kept in hollow- 

 ed out Fennel stems: and most parts of the plant have 

 been used medicinally. It is not surprising then that this 

 plant was valued b}- the ancients. Ferula Scorodo&ma of 

 the Persian Steppes, a plant six feet high with great ^-ellow 

 umbels, is closely related to the Fennel. It forms regu- 

 lar thickets in the regions between the sea of Aral and 

 the Persian Gulf. The gum-resin known as Asafoetida 

 is extracted chiefi\- from the roots of this plant. It smells 

 like a mixture of garlic and balsam of Peru. The specific 

 name scorodosma comes from scorodoji, garlic, and osma , 

 smell. When sheep feed on this plant in Afghanistan 

 their milk smells strongh' of garlic. Ferula Scorodosma 



