RANDOLPH. — MANDRAGORA IN FOLK-LORE AND MKDICINE. 505 



the result that they are often coufused with it in the works of ancieut 

 writers.* 



Two species were well-known to the ancients, and both are found 

 to-day in southern Europe and in Asia. Dioscorides mentions a third 

 species, with which he apparently had no personal acquaintance, f 



The " female " mandragora {niundrugora uuluinnuUs, Spreug.j is of a 

 dark shade, with small, narrow leaves ; | these grow spread out along 

 the ground, and have a strong, unpleasant odor. Among the leaves 

 appeals the fruit, which is of a yellow color, of the size of service 

 berries or filbert nuts, § and has a pleasant smell. The fruit contains 

 a seed much like that of a pear. The roots are two or three in number, 

 and grow intertwined with one another : they are black [j or reddish If 

 on the outside, but white within, and the interior is fleshy and tender; 

 the bark is thick ; the average length of the root is about a cubit. 

 Pliny says that this species has a hairy stem ; Dioscorides says that it 

 has none. 



The "male" mandragora (^mandragora rernalis, Bert.) is of a light 

 color, which the writers generally call white. The leaves are large, 

 white, smooth, and broader than those of the first species; they resemble 

 the leaves of the beet || or garden sorrel. H The fruit of this species is 

 twice as large as that of the other ; its color is yellow, and its odor 

 pleasant, thougli strong. The root resembles that of the first species, 

 but is larger and whiter. Dioscorides states that it has no stem, and 

 Pliny is silent on this point.** 



Pliny's description differs from that of Dioscorides in five points : 



* See footnote above, p. 497. 



t Diosc, 1. 573 : Iffropovcri Se Kal irtpav. As to the existence of otlier more or 

 less clearly defined varieties in I-^urope and Asia to-day, see Asclierson, p. 729, 

 note 4. 



X Pliny says " narrower tlian lettuce " ; this is a favorite standard of PUny wlien 

 speaking of the relative size of leaves. The interpolator in Dioscorides (1. 570) 

 says that mandragora was also called OptSaKtas ; this too seems to refer to some 

 resemblance to tiie lettuce (9pi5a|). 



§ Service berries and filbert nuts are of about the same size. Bodaeus, Comm. 

 ad Theophr., p. 584. 



II Dioscorides. T Pliny. 



** Dioscorides adds that the " male " is also called vwpiov {rcipiov, cod. N), but 

 this seems to be a corruption of n6piov, tlie name of his " third species." Pliny 

 mentions the name muriuii and also ciistn (apariv) and hijipophlomos in connection 

 with the " male." 



Tlie description given above is that of the ancient writers; I have made no 

 attempt to treat the plant from the standpoint of a modern botanist. 



