350 PLINY'S NATURAL HISTOHT. [Book XXI. 



never blossoms ; 40 while the aphace, on the other hand, as its 

 flowers die, from time to time puts forth fresh ones, and re- 

 mains 41 in blossom throughout the winter and the spring, until 

 the following summer. 



CHAP. 53. FOUR VARIETIES OP THE CNECOS. 



The Egyptians have many other plants also, of little note ; 

 but they speak in the highest terms of the cnecos ; 41 * a plant 

 unknown to Italy, and which the Egyptians hold in esteem, 

 not as an article of food, but for the oil it produces, and which 

 is extracted from the seed. The principal varieties are the 

 wild and the cultivated kinds ; of the wild variety, again, there 

 are two sorts, one of which is less prickly 42 than the other, but 

 with a similar stem, only more upright : hence it is that in 

 former times females used it for distaffs, from which circum- 

 stance it has received the name of " atractylis" 43 from some; 

 the seed of it is white, large, and bitter. The other variety 44 

 is more prickly, and has a more sinewy stem, which may be 

 said almost to creep upon the ground; the seed is small. The 

 cnecos belongs to the thorny plants : indeed, it will be as well-' 

 to make some classification of them. 



CHAP. 54. PLANTS OF A PRICKLY NATURE : THE ERYNGE, THE 



GLYCYRRIZA, THE TRIBULTJS, THE ANONIS, THE PHEOS OK 

 STCEBE, AND THE HIPPOPHAES. 



For some plants, in fact, are thorny, while others, again, are 

 destitute of prickles : the species of thorny plants are very 

 numerous. The asparagus 45 and the scorpio 46 are essentially 

 thorny plants, having no leaves at all upon them. Some 



40 On the contrary, it has a purple flower. 



41 It is this, probably, that has caused it to be identified with the Leon- 

 todon taraxacum. 



41 * The Carthamus tinctorius of Linnaeus, or bastard saffron. The seed 

 of it is a powerful purgative to man, but has no effect on birds : it is much 

 used for feeding parrots, hence one of its names, " parrot-seed." 



42 Identified by Fee with the Atractylis of Dioscorides, the Carthamus 

 mitissimus of Linnaeus ; the Carduncellus mitissimus of Decandolle. 



43 From arpaKTog, " a distaff." 



44 The Centaurea lanata of Decandolle, the Centaurea benedicta of 

 Linnaeus. 



45 The Asparagus aphylla of Linnaeus : the leafless asparagus. 



46 The Spartium scorpius of Linmeus : scorpion-grass, or scorpion- wort. 



