The genus Ferula L.(Apiaceae) from Latin ferula," rod" comprises of 180–185 species of flowering plants distributed in central and south-west Asia, far east, north India and the Mediterranean basin. The species of genus Ferula mostly grows in mountainous regions and some are distributed in arid climates. Various species of Ferula have been reported from USSR, Pakistan, India and western Himalayas. Some species of the genus are commonly used as spices. Some of species of genus Ferula are used in the preparation of local drugs. These plants are also known to be a rich source of gum-resin used in folklore medicine. The genus Ferula is mostly characterized by the presence of sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpene coumarins. The genus Ferula has long been regarded as a monophyletic genus because its members are similar in habit and morphology but recent molecular studies stated that there is a controversy on both upper and lower level classification of the genus Ferula. The molecular studies concluded that Ferula group including Dorema, Leutea and Ferula is in the tribe Scandiceae, based on ITS sequence analysis. It was found that Dorema and Leutea arise from within a paraphyletic Ferula and suggested nomenclatural changes. This review mainly focuses on the distribution and taxonomy of the medicinally economic important genus Ferula.