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.