THE UMBKL FAMILY. 



359 



Ammoniacum {Dorema ammoniacum)^ A tall fennel-like 

 plant, native of Persia, and other parts of Western Asia. 

 It attains tlie height of six or seven feet, and has large com- 

 pound leaves. The stem, when punctured, yields a milky- 

 juice, which hardens and becomes Gum Ammoniacum. A 

 similar gum is yielded by other allied species. The punctures 

 are made naturally by insects, which abound at the time the 

 plant has attained perfection. It is used medicinally in this 

 country as a stimulant. 



Silphium {Ferula (Thapsia) Silphium). This is supposed 

 to have yielded the gum resin called "Laser Cyrenaicum," 

 which was so highly valued by the people of ancient Cyrene 

 that they thought it worthy of being represented on their 

 coins. In order to its identification, the late Mr. Koenig, 

 keeper of the coins in the British Museum about thirty-five 

 years ago, procured a plant direct from Cyrene, which was 

 understood to be the " Silphium." Unfortunately it did not 

 long survive the effects of its transit, but the few radical 

 leaves it had on its arrival were sufficient to enable me to 

 determine it to be closely allied, if not identical with Ferula 

 glauca, a species with multifid glaucous leaves and a smooth 

 stem attaining the height of fi:om 4 to 5 feet, bearing showy 

 umbels of pale yellow flowers. It is a native of the South of 

 Europe, and is recorded as being introduced more than three 

 hundred years ago. 



Gum Galbanum, Gum Opopanax, Gum Sagapenum, and 

 other similar gums, are obtained from plants allied to Ferula, 

 but it is doubtful what species yield the different kinds.* 

 They are natives of Syria, Persia, and countries bordering 

 the Mediterranean. There are three kinds of Galbanum — 

 viz., Galbanum in grains or tears, Galbanum in masses, and 

 Persian Galbanum, all of which are obtained from exudations 

 of the stem or root. 



A gum of some of the above mentioned plants is supposed 

 to be the substance spoken of in Exodus, chap. xxv. ver. 10, 



* It is now ascertained that the first is obtained from Ferula 

 galhaniflua, and the second from Chironium opopanax. 



