270 PLINY'S NATUEAL HISTOET. [Book XXVII. 



the seed, leaf, and branches. Its milky juice, which thickens 

 in the form of a gum, or its seed, taken in drink, expels pointed 

 weapons from the flesh. The plant, too, is pounded fresh and 

 applied as a liniment with wine, or, dried and powdered, with 

 honey. It increases the milk in nursing women, and is a 

 sovereign remedy for diseases- of the mamillse. 



CHAP. 116. THE TEAGOS OE SCOEPION : FOUB EEMEDIES. 



There is another plant also, called "tragos," 14 or " scorpion" 

 hy some, half a foot in height, branchy, destitute of leaves, 

 and bearing diminutive red clusters, with a seed like that of 

 wheat, but pointed at the extremity : this too grows in mari- 

 time localities. Ten or twelve tops of the branches, bruised 

 and taken in wine, are remedial in cases of cceliae affections, 

 dysentery, spitting of blood, and excessive menstruation. 



CHAP. 117. THE TEAGOPOGON OE COME. 



There is the tragopogon, 15 also, by some called " come ;" a 

 plant with a small stem, leaves like those of saffron, an elon- 

 gated, sweet, root, and a large, swarthy calyx at the extremity 

 of the stem. It grows in rugged soils, and is never used. 



CHAP. 118. THE AGES OF PLANTS. 



Such, then, is all that I have hitherto been enabled to 

 learn or discover, worthy of mention, relative to plants. At 

 the close of this subject, it seems to me that it will not be out 

 of place to remind the reader, that the properties of plants 

 vary according to their age. It is elaterium, as already 

 stated, 16 that preserves its properties the longest of all. The 

 black chamseleon 16 * retains its virtues forty years, centaury not 

 more than twelve, peucedanum 17 and aristolochia 18 six, and 

 the wild vine one year that is to say, if they are kept in the 

 shade. I would remark, also, that beyond those animals which 

 breed within the plants, there are none that attack the roots 



14 See B. xiii. c. 37. M. Fraas (Synopsis, p. 257) identifies it with 

 the Epbedra distachya of Linnaeus, the Great shrubby horsetail. 



15 " Goafs-beard. Probably the Tragopogon crocifolium of Linnaeus, 

 the Saffron-leaved goat's beard. Though its properties are not inert , it 

 is never used in medicine. 



16 In B. xx. c. 3. 16 See c. 41 of this Book. 



17 See B. xxv. c. 70. 18 See B. xxv. c. 54. 



