Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - spikenard

 noun  Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French or Medieval Latin; Anglo-French spicanarde, from Medieval Latin spica nardi, literally, spike of nard  Date: 14th century  1.  a. a fragrant ointment of the ancients  b. a Himalayan aromatic plant (Nardostachys jatamansi) of the valerian family from which ~ is believed to have been derived  2. a North American perennial herb (Aralia racemosa) of the ginseng family with an aromatic root and panicled umbels