Chap. 29.] RELATIVE NATURES OF BERRY FRUITS. 321 



gained its name of " unedo," 64 people being generally con- 

 tent with eating but one. The Greeks, however, have found 

 for it two names — -'"coniaron" and "memecylon," from which 

 it would appear 65 that there are two varieties. It has also 

 with us another name besides that of " unedo," being known 

 also as the " arbutus." Juba states that in Arabia this tree 

 attains the height of fifty cubits. 



CHAP. 29. — THE RELATIVE NATURES OF BEKRY FRUITS. 



There is a great difference also among the various acinus 

 fruits. First of all, among the grapes, we find considerable 

 difference in respect to their firmness, the thinness or thick- 

 ness of the skin, and the stone inside the fruit, which in some 

 varieties is remarkably small, and in others even double in 

 number : these last producing but very little juice. Very dif- 

 ferent, again, are the berries of the ivy 67 and the elder j 68 as 

 also those in the pomegranate, 69 these being the only ones that 

 are of an angular shape. These last, also, have not a mem- 

 brane for each individual grain, but one to cover them all in 

 common, and of a pale colour. All these fruits consist, too, 

 of juice and flesh, and those more particularly which have but 

 small seeds inside. 



There are great varieties, too, among the berry 70 fruits; 

 the berry of the olive being quite different from that of the 

 laurel, the berry of the lotus 71 from that of the cornel, and 

 that of the myrtle from the berry of the lentisk. The berry, 

 however, of the aquifolium 72 and the thorn 73 is quite destitute 

 of juice. 



The cherry 74 occupies a middle place between the berry and 

 the acinus fruit : it is white at first, which is the case also 



64 He suggests that it is so called from " unum edo," " I eat but one ;" 

 a rather fanciful etymology, it would seem. 



65 This supposition is not warranted, from merely the fact of there being 

 two names. 67 See B. xvi. c. 52. 



68 See B. xxiv. c. 35. 69 See B. xiii. c. 31. 



70 " Baccis." Berries, properly so called. 



71 The Celtis Australis of Linnaeus. 



72 Supposed by some to be the holly. See B. xxv. c. 72. 



73 He alludes to a variety of the Crataegus. 



74 The Cerasus vulgaris of modern botanists. It is said to have obtained 

 its name from Cerasus, in Asia Minor, where Lucullus found it. 



VOL. III. X 



