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Ferula assa-foetida
Also called Asafetida, Assa Foetida, Devil's Dung
Ferula assa-foetida is a large, strong-smelling perennial herb from southern Iran, grown mainly for the resin (asafoetida) taken from its roots. It is a hardy, sun-loving plant that suits dry, open ground rather than typical houseplant conditions.
Ferula assa-foetida is a species of Ferula endemic to Southern Iran. It is a source of asafoetida, 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. In a molecular phylogenetic study, all the plant samples of F. assa-foetida collected in Central Iran 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 also showed that asafoetida-producing species there were F. lutensis, F. foetida, F. alliacea, etc., instead of F. assa-foetida.
Ferula ammoniacum · Giant Fennel · Ferula drudeana · Asafetida · Hermon Giant Fennel · Muskroot · Giant Fennel
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Ferula assa-foetida by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
