''Ferula assa-foetida'' is a species of ''
Ferula
''Ferula'' (from Latin ''ferula'' ) is a genus of about 220 species of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, native to the Mediterranean region east to central Asia, mostly growing in arid climates. Many plants of this genus, especially '' F ...
'' endemic to
Southern Iran
Southern Iran consists of the southern mountain ranges of Zagros and Central Iranian Range, Khuzestan Plain and the northern coasts of Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
Definition
It includes the provinces of Fars province, Fars, Kohgiluyeh ...
.
It is a source of
asafoetida
Asafoetida (; also spelled asafetida) is the dried latex (Natural gum, gum oleoresin) exuded from the rhizome or tap root of several species of ''Ferula'', perennial herbs of the carrot family. It is produced in Iran, Afghanistan, Central As ...
, but not the main source, although many sources claim so. The production of asafoetida from this species is confined to Southern Iran, especially the area near
Lar.
Outside its native range, other asafoetida-producing species are often misidentified as ''F. assa-foetida''.
For example, ''
F. foetida'' is mistaken for ''F. assa-foetida'' in ''
Flora of the U.S.S.R.'' and ''
Flora of Pakistan
Pakistan's native flora reflects its varied climatic zones, which range from arid and semi-arid to temperate and tropical.
For further details of habitats, see Ecoregions of Pakistan, Forestry in Pakistan and Wildlife of Pakistan.
Distribut ...
''.
In a molecular phylogenetic study, all the plant samples of ''F. assa-foetida'' collected in
Central Iran
Central Iran () consists of the southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains in the north, the Zagros Mountains in south, the Central Iranian Range, and the desert of Dasht-e Kavir.
It includes the provinces of Esfahan, Yazd, Chahar Mahal and Bak ...
were not the true species, but ''
F. alliacea'' and ''
F. gabrielii'' or their close relatives instead.
Chemical analyses of asafoetida samples obtained from local markets in
Eastern Iran
Eastern Iran includes the provinces North Khorasan, Razavi Khorasan, South Khorasan and Sistan and Baluchestan some of which share a border with Afghanistan and Pakistan. Some references also count Kerman Province to this region.
Dominated by des ...
also showed that asafoetida-producing species there were ''
F. lutensis'', ''F. foetida'', ''F. alliacea'', etc., instead of ''F. assa-foetida''.
''
F. pseudalliacea'' and ''
F. rubricaulis'' are endemic to western and southwestern
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
and are sometimes considered conspecific with ''F. assa-foetida''.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q111185
assa-foetida
Endemic flora of Iran