Alexander Russell. Line engraving by T. Trotter after Sir N. Dance-Holland.

Below the portrait, a scammony plant. "Pitcairn and others raised plants from the Russells' seeds of the elegant shrub true scammony (Convolvulus scammonia). Alexander Russell ... had raised it in pots in Aleppo from seeds collected in the mountains between Aleppo and Alexandretta (now Iskenderun). In an article Alexander described its medicinal properties as a purgative (Russell 1758 [1757?]: 13-25). This included a description of scammonium, the dried juice or gum-resin of scammony and local methods of extracting the milky juice which has been used in domestic medicine from ancient times."-- Ines Asceric-Todd et al. loc. cit.