Ferula

Plants 1.5-2 m tall. Root thick, fusiform. Stem base fibrous. Leaves large, bipinnate; segments oblong; margin entire to sinuate. Umbels axillary, regularly distributed from the base to the top of the plant, not pubescent. Rays up to 30. Petals yellow, deciduous. Fruit 10-12 mm long; furrows 1-(2)-vittate; vittae large, sometimes branched; commissure 4-6-vittate, unequal and variable.

Ferula narthex is a species of plant native to Afghanistan, Tajikistan, northern Pakistan and the Western Himalayan region of Pakistan. Although it is often listed as the source of asafoetida, one report stated that its essential oil lacked sulfur-containing compounds which are characteristic of asafoetida.