3 ms·
I've looked into this a lot and I'd say the actual leading theory is that it's an infertile hybrid of two Ferula species that grew mostly in African Mediterrane
by culi 10mo ago
I've looked into this a lot and I'd say the actual leading theory is that it's an infertile hybrid of two Ferula species that grew mostly in African Mediterranean. It likely went extinct from its overharvest and inability to reproduce through seeds.
The Ferula genus contains fennel and asafoetida (aka hing). Ferula drudeana is suspected to be one of the species that was hybridized.
- gsf_emergency_6 10mo agoMy personal cold take is that it's a forgotten aloe species/hybrid -has weird succulent morphology as depicted in coinage Eg https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/75379-Aloe-maculata https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/75379-Aloe-maculata -species that grow well (only) in the relevant regions in North Africa -sap much less sulfurous than hing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloin -Pliny mentions silphium as laxative/purgative -Most of all, explains why the leading theory is still so unsatisfactory