Identification of the Plant called ‘Narthex’.

IN NATURE of June 21, 1930, p. 920, Mr. Henry Balfour inquired as to the nature of the plant called ``narthex'' by the present inhabitants of Lesbos. Through the kindness of Miss Winifred Lamb, who has been excavating there, it has been possible to identify it with Ferula communis, which is the giant fennel and, like a reed, has a hollow stem.