CHAP. 25. (12.)—COSTUS.
A root and a leaf, however, are the productions which are
held in the very highest estimation in India. The root is that
of the costus;[1] it has a burning taste in the mouth, and a
most exquisite odour; in other respects, the branches are good
for nothing. In the island of Patale,[2] situate at the very
mouth of the river Indus, there are two kinds of costus found,
the black and the white; the last is considered the best. The
price of it is five denarii per pound.
1. According to most commentators, this is the Costus Arabicus of Linnæus. Dioscorides mentions three varieties of costus: the Arabian, which
is of the best quality, and is white and odoriferous; the Indian, which is
black and smooth; and the Syrian, which is of the colour of wax, dusky, and
strong smelling. Fée, however, doubts whether the modern costus is the
same thing as that of the ancients; for, as he says, although it has a sweet
odour, it does not deserve the appellation of a "precious aromatic," which
we find constantly given to it by the ancients.
2. See B. vi. c. 23.