Chap. 52.] THE EPIPETROrf. 349 



distance 24 from the river ; the fruit of it is round, 25 and about 

 the size of a medlar, but without either kernel or rind ; the 

 leaves of the plant are similar to those of the cyperus. The 

 people there eat the fruit of it cooked upon the fire, as also of 

 the oetum, 26 a plant which has a few leaves only, and those ex- 

 tremely diminutive, though the root is large in proportion. 57 

 The arachidna, 28 again, and the aracos have numerous branchy 

 roots, but neither leaves nor any herbaceous parts, nor, indeed, 

 anything that makes its appearance above ground. 



The other plants that are commonly eaten in Egypt are the 

 chondrylla, 29 the hypochceris, 30 the caucalis, 31 the anthriscum, 32 

 the scandix, the come, by some persons known as the trago- 

 pogon, 33 with leaves very similar to those of saffron, the par- 

 thenium, 84 the trychnum, 35 and the corchorus ; 36 with the 

 aphace 37 and acynopos, 38 which make their appearance at the 

 equinox. There is a plant also, called the epipetron, 39 which 



24 Theophrastus, B. iv. c. 10, says that it grows in the sandy soil in the 

 vicinity of the river. 



25 It is similar in appearance to the papyrus, and its tubercles are ob- 

 long, or round and fleshy, with an agreeable flavour. 



1(i The Arachis hypogaea of Linnaeus, the earth pistachio. 



27 The root is not large ; but the fruit is so close to the earth that Pliny 

 may have confounded it with the real root of the plant. 



28 Sprengel identifies this with the Lathyrus araphicarpos, and the 

 aracos with the Lathyrus tuberosus, varieties of the chicheling vetch. 

 Columna thinks that this last was the arachidna. Fee says that the data 

 are altogether insufficient to enable us to form an opinion. 



29 The Chondrylla juncea of Linnaeus, according to Fee ; but Desfon- 

 taines identifies it with the Lactuca perennis. 



30 Destbntaines identifies it with the Hyoseris lucida. Fee says that 

 the opinion is equally as difficult to combat as to support. 



31 Fee identifies it with the Caucalis grandiflora of Linnaeus, a native 

 of Greece. Desfontaines mentions the Caucalis Orientalis, an Eastern plant. 



32 For this and the Scandix, see B. xxii. c. 38. 



33 A chicoraceous plant : the Tragopogon crocifolius of Linnaeus. 



34 See c. 104 of this Book. 



8 > See cc. 35 and 105 of this Book. 



36 The Corchorus olitorius of Linnaeus : still cultivated in Egypt. ^ 



37 Identified by some, but it is doubtful if with any good reason, with the 

 Leontodon taraxacum of Linnaeus : our dandelion. 



38 The reading is doubtful, and it does not appear to have been iden- 

 tified. 



:vj Or " stone-plant :" identified with the Sedum anacampse-ros of Lin- 

 nieus : a variety of house-leek. 



